"This is everything I know, but it should be more than enough to get the ball rolling. Aidan Richardson has a friend. Her name is Lilly Hendricks and she can help as well. She used to work for the Coalition but she has turned against the organization at great risk to her life, after seeing the error of her ways, as well as theirs. I plan on having the Entity deliver this same message to her soon but I don't know if I'll be able to. As I mentioned before, I think the enemy is on to me. I feel like I'm being watched."
That captures my attention. Lilly? The Coalition? Then, it clicks. That's where I remember the Coalition from—Lilly's house. I now remember seeing the paperwork concerning the Coalition on the dining room table. I can't believe that Lilly used to work for them. She never told me about the Coalition but at least she turned against them. I'm unsure if I can ever forgive her for being a part of such a corrupt entity, but she did turn over a new leaf. And she might be the only person who can help me now.
"If all else fails though, remember that I love you," Dr. Cato carries on with sentiments. "And you too, Liam, if you are there with Noah. I love the two of you more than life itself and that's why I have risked everything to uncover the truth. Now, I beg of both of you, to help me do the same."
Tears start falling gently from Dr. Cato's eyes and my hatred for everything wanes suddenly. I admire Dr. Cato. I admire her courage and her determination to learn all of the secrets that the Core and their leaders, the Coalition, are keeping from the people of Paradise. She's a hero in my eyes, just like the Wanderer before her. Both of them were willing to stand completely against our enemies when no one else would. The SAFE rebels do a great job of not taking the Purge and separating themselves from the laws of the land but none of them so far, with the exception of the Entity, has rebelled through actions that weren't passive. True revolutionaries fight back. They don't hide in the shadows with picket signs, spewing hatred for the government. True revolutionaries take action against the tyrannical leaders that govern them.
I watch quietly as Dr. Cato kisses two of her fingers and presses them against the camera's eye. "I love you both," she repeats and then she's gone.
I am suddenly saddened that neither Emerson nor Liam will get the chance to ever see this message. They will never find out not only about the terrible things happening in Paradise but also about how much Dr. Cato cared for the two of them. Liam might have a chance though, if he's spared for helping me. Maybe he can convince his superiors that he wasn't aiding me and maybe I can escape this facility and show him the vid somehow.
"Your video has finished playing," the computer informs me in case I'm too stupid to have figured that out already. "Is there anything else you require?"
Actually, there is. "This vid is encrypted and can only be read by this computer but is there a way to decrypt the data so that it can be opened on any type of hardware?" And I wait with bated breath for a response.
"Yes," comes the computer's response, much to my relief. "I can decrypt the file, extract it, and save it to the current external drive."
"Do it," I order the computer to work its magic.
The computer does as I say and the process only takes a few minutes. When it's done, I remove the drive that Aidan gave me and I consider something for a moment. Liam asked me if other files could be copied to my neuro player and I told him I didn't know. But when Aidan gave me this device, he hinted that I could use it to transfer data to any other device, including music players. I don't know what will happen if I attempt it but I know for sure that I don't want the device in my hands falling into the wrong ones. If Dr. Cato's data is stored inside my head, then I will never lose it. It'll always be there and if the transfer goes correctly, I can always copy the two vid files later for others to view.
I force myself to think and make a decision because time remains of the essence. The computer interrupts my thought process by asking if I have any more tasks for it to perform. Aggravated by its persistent artificial intelligence, I shut it down. Stupid computers shouldn't be so talkative.
I think about my mother who died because the Coalition decided to create a society that inhales the Purge daily. I think about Liam's father, who helped establish Project Lightning. I try to dislike him but I can't because not only is he Liam's father, but he also met the same demise as my mother. I think about my own father, who's currently suffering from the disease as well. And it breaks my heart that he's back on the Purge. I think about Abigail who could one day have Black Death or be sent to the reform school in the northern ruins. Both are options I don't ever want her to have. I think about Scarlett who is being tortured, training as an Amber Army soldier, or rotting in a grave somewhere, dead because she was chosen for the Harbinger Initiative. I miss my twin sister more than words can ever describe. I think about Emma, who along with the Free Spirits, created a diversion so that I could reach this very office. They were probably all captured and if they were, then they will be sent to that horrible place in the north, to join Scarlett. I think about Lilly, a friend I've trusted for quite some time now. I have told her nearly everything about me and I barely know her at all. She would be an enemy if she hadn't stopped working for the Coalition. She's still an ally to me, an ally who Aidan and Dr. Cato trusted and one who can help expose the truth about Paradise. I think about Aidan next. Whether or not he knew about everything Dr. Cato knew, I still feel sorry for him. He endured the Catalyst and became a Drifter—that's why he was teleporting around the monorail—but he fled from the Amber Army. Now, they hunt him like they're hunting me. I think about Elijah, who like Abigail, could one day become a candidate for the Amber Army. He's too young to endure something like the Catalyst. I think about Noah Emerson, who's dead because he was the one politician trying to make a difference. I think about Dr. Cato who is imprisoned because she was the kind of hero that those who are against the Core need to believe in. And lastly, I think about Liam. He risked everything to help me, despite his addiction to the Purge and his loyalty to the White Agency. I was attracted to him all along and our time spent together will not be in vain. One day, we will be reunited, if it's the last thing I do.
And that does it. I have to do this for not only the people I care about, but for everyone else on this forsaken island that has been manipulated by the Coalition. Heroes are made, not born, and any hero would make the right choice. I'm not trying to say that I am a hero but right now, I have to possess the courage of a hero. All it takes is for one person to make a brave, but difficult choice and things can start to get better, as long as hope remains. And I have hope that the future holds the destruction of the Coalition.
I make up my mind right then and there and nothing terrible happens to me. But the data is has been transferred to the inside of my head, available for me to access whenever I feel like it, just like my music library.
And now, it's time for me to escape BioLife. Again.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Liam
Charlotte dances before my eyes, shifting in and out of focus. I reach for her but I can't seem to grab her. It takes me a second to realize that she's not corporeal. I can't touch her. It's almost as if she's a ghost.
I'm dreaming again. Or am I?
Surely, I'm dreaming. Charlotte is not here and she's not a ghost. I could touch her if she was really here.
Then—
"I guess I don't need this disguise anymore," Charlotte says to me out of nowhere and she starts wiping away her makeup. It takes me a moment but then I get it. I'm reliving a memory from the night I spent with her before we were separated inside of BioLife.
I stare at her. I like her better without her Olivia Cruz disguise. She's . . . Her eyes . . . A perfect blending of brown and green, like a desert meeting plains . . . .
"I'll be right back." She leaves and returns a few minutes later and I hate myself for even considering what would happen if I arrested her. This girl means everything to me and I'm going to save her somehow. She doesn't deserve to go to jail for a crime she
didn't commit.
She's herself again and even in the dark, she captivates me. I observe that she closed the door behind her. We're alone. I enjoy being alone with her. We only have this one chance, this one night, and I long for more. I want to spend more days or nights, I'm not picky, alone with Charlotte. We could do stuff or do nothing at all. I don't care as long as we're together.
I look at her eyes. They're magnificent. In fact, I tell her that: "Your eyes . . . are magnificent."
"That's the lack of the Purge speaking," she tells me. "You didn't mean to say that."
"Yes, I did," I correct her, before admitting: "I have always been taken with your eyes. I just never had an opportunity to tell you this until now." Before it didn't matter what I thought about her physical appearance. Now, it does matter and I feel compelled to tell her so.
"Thanks, I guess," she says. "Your eyes are not bad either." And the smile that follows lights up my world.
I ask her about keeping her emotions at bay and she tells me all about her neuro music player, worried that I'll think she's a freak. Then, she reveals information that I already knew, that her father experimented on her. And she still loves him. That part I didn't know. In retrospect, I think how is that possible? How can Charlotte still love her father after what he did to her? If I was her and Dr. Cato—my mother—had did something to me like that, I don't know if I would still love her if ever I did love her. I guess the same could be said about me arresting her. If my mother loved me before, does she still love me now after what I did to her?
If she forgives me, then maybe she does. But that's hypothetically speaking, if my mother loved me in the first place. And why does it matter if she does?
But my mother does love me. Or at least she did. "I hope that in the end you will fight for the proper side, William. I love you and I want you by my side when we storm the Bastille . . ." That's what she once told me on the day Sophia and I went to arrest her. I consider her words as I continue to experience my short time spent with Charlotte for a second time.
I take Charlotte's hand, comforting her. I like the way her hand feels inside of mine. "So, right now, you have music playing in your head?" I ask her, caressing her hand gently.
She nods in affirmation.
"But you can also carry on a conversation with me? Don't the songs distract you?"
"No. I'm used to it by now and I can control the volume without much conscious thought. When someone talks to me, the volume decreases, but when there's no other sounds for me to discern, the volume increases." She laughs and I even like the sound. I haven't heard too much laughter in my lifetime. Whenever I do, it's mostly mad cackles coming from the people I'm detaining. "You don't know how much of a hard time I'm having right now trying to keep the volume down as I talk to you though. Whenever I'm in your presence, the volume of the music always amplifies tremendously."
"Why is that?"
She looks down at our intertwining hands. "Right now, it's mostly because you're holding my hand."
"Do you wish for me to release it?"
"No. I don't want you to. I like it . . . ."
And I wake up. Just like that, the memory fades and I struggle to cling on to it as I look around.
I find myself in a well lit room. The light is blinding. I shy away from the lights overhead and divert my eyes to the tiled floor. That's when I discover that my hands are bound, shackled to something above me. I don't look up because of the light. I also can't move more than a couple of feet without some resistance from the chains binding me. A stale aroma permeates the air and I have a feeling that the room I'm in isn't used very often.
I hear movement. Someone's coming.
I look up and blink away white spots as my eyes adjust to the brightness. Sounds like someone's coming down a flight a stairs I can't see. The room I'm in is wide and cavernous, almost like a hangar, so that the footsteps echo loudly even at a distance. Then, a door opens.
I fight against the bright lights compelling me to close my eyes to protect my vision. The profile of a woman quickly drifts into focus. For a second, I'm hopeful that it's Charlotte, even though what's left of the Purge tells me not to feel hope with a quick jolt of pain. But I quickly discover that this person is not Charlotte. It's Lilly, of course.
"Ah, Liam, you're awake," she greets me, wearing a devilishly grin. She's dressed in a gray pencil skirt with matching blazer. Her high-heeled shoes are black and so is her blouse, which is unbuttoned slightly to reveal the upper curvature of her bosom.
"Where's Charlotte?" Is my first question to her. I don't care about anything else until I know that's Charlotte's okay.
"Don't worry about her," Lilly tells me consolingly. "She's just fine."
I don't know if I believe her. "Did she—did she make it out of BioLife?"
Lilly shrugs. "Perhaps. I did make it easier for her."
I'm confused. "What do you mean that you made it easier for her?"
"I made a few phone calls. All of the cops and White Agents you saw at BioLife earlier are gone now. I made it happen. I was tired of all of you screwing up my plans, so it was finally time for me to take a little more action. To take matters into my own hands, you know? But remain discreet about it." She smiles.
I'm lost. Lost for words and lost by her words. Pain like you can't imagine pulsates inside of my mind, trying to force away my bewilderment. I fight it off. I need to stay focused. I need to get to the bottom of whatever's going on. I need to find out why Lilly has me handcuffed like a criminal. I need to see Charlotte again.
"You don't have the authority to do something like that," I tell her. "Only the Chancellor can make a call like that."
Lilly laughs. "I forgot. There's so much you don't know about Paradise, about who is truly in charge around here. Let's just say that it's not your precious Chancellor, so we'll leave it at that."
"The Chancellor is in charge," I argue. "He governs this island, along with Parliament."
"Or so you've been led to believe," Lilly counters. There's so much behind those golden eyes of hers that I'm unable to read. She's a complicated person and complicated people are like closed books. "The truth is out there for people to discover, like I believe that Dr. Cato, your precious mother, did. And it's my job to make sure that the truth remains hidden, swept under the rug. If people learned the truth, more than likely they won't appreciate our methods."
"Our methods?" I echo. "You're a double agent for the White Agency and SAFE. Both sides already don't appreciate the other's methods."
Lilly guffaws loudly. "That was a lie, my dear Liam. I mean, I am a double agent, but my allegiance is to neither party. My loyalties lie elsewhere, with a third party."
A third party? What is she getting at? Clearly, I can't ask her that question because she'll probably answer with a response that doesn't answer the question at all. So, I try a new tactic. I change the subject.
"Where am I?"
Lilly looks around the wide room and so do I. It's empty, devoid of anything except for me, Lilly, and whatever I'm chained to. But now that my eyes have adjusted to the intensity of the lights overhead, I can make out a room straight ahead. The wall separating that room from this one is comprised entirely of glass. To the right of the glass wall is a flight of steps leading up to an upper level of the place. I glance up briefly and see that I shackled to some sort of air duct that traces a path across the ceiling like a metal snake. There's also a thin pipe with tiny nozzles spaced out at perfect intervals all along it, like some kind of sprinkler system.
"You should feel honored to be here," Lilly states proudly.
"Why is that?"
"Because this is one of the first testing centers for the Purge," she reveals to me as if it's the greatest information in the world. "It was abandoned years ago, as testing facilities were moved downtown when places like BioLife were founded. But during the early stages of the Purge creation, scientists brought test subjects down here into this facility for experimentation. I disco
vered this place a couple of months ago because it just so happens that my house was built on top of this very location. Instead of a basement, I have this wonderful room at my disposal."
"It's lovely," I say almost subconsciously. And that's my first foray into sarcasm.
"You think so?" Lilly asks me. "Or have you finally adopted a sardonic tone of voice? I didn't know Purge stiffs like you talked like that. You should be careful, Liam. You just might have to arrest yourself." She stares at my shackles. "You're already handcuffed so it should be simple."
"What's the point of all of this?" I desperately want to know.
"I'm an actress, you see? And acting is one of my many jobs I've had that I have actually enjoyed. I'm big on grand theatrics and as director of this film, we'll call it, I had to have a significant setting, a couple of flawed characters, and an interesting plot. Looking around, I've see that I've done a good job so far. This room has to do with the Purge and the Purge has to do with everything concerning Paradise. You and I? We're definitely flawed characters, as is Charlotte. The plot is already interesting because you have no idea why you're here and you still don't have a handle of what's going on. It's a mystery and all I can say is that when Charlotte arrives, things are going to get really interesting then. It'll make for the perfect finale."
"Charlotte? She's coming here?" That was the only words I picked up on during her entire spiel.
Lilly nods. "Assuming she escaped BioLife, then yes." She pauses to think for a moment. "Actually, no assumptions are necessary. She has escaped BioLife and will be coming here as soon as possible. If she didn't escape BioLife after I made it easy for her to do so, then she doesn't deserve to claim her previous flight from the same place anymore."
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