by Melissa Faye
I wasn’t so sure. My medical training told me that it was better for me to stay in one place. Someone should talk to me to keep me awake. I asked Sven to tell us a story about his life before the ACer camp. I don’t think he would have obliged if I hadn’t looked so pathetic.
“I lived in a community called Broken Wings,” he told us. “When we were kids, we made fun of the name. Nothing about the town was broken. It was all perfect. Everyone worked together to keep things running smoothly. I was Bronze, agriculture. I had wanted to work in technology. But the tests don’t lie. I would be best in farming.”
“The tests do lie!” I exclaimed, suddenly remembering my responsibility to be honest with all the information I had. “Our Chancellor told me in secret. Our test results are pre-determined by our ancestors. Your ancestor must have worked in farming.”
Sven and Daphne stopped in their tracks. I understood their confusion. We had been promised that the career tests were accurate, and that they always determined the best possible way we could serve the community. Even when people were disappointed, they followed the career the test assigned them to.
“I guess that makes sense,” said Daphne. “I was interested in education, but I was assigned to business operations. I didn’t like it at first...actually, I guess I never liked it. It just felt like I should. So I pretended. I didn’t realize until I got to the camp how much I was pretending every day in my community.”
Daphne’s face swam before my eyes. “Sven, will you tell us more?” I asked. He obliged.
“So I grew up in Broken Wings, which again, was an awful name for a community. But there was a pride in the community members to prove the name wrong. People were desperate to prove that community wasn’t broken. That the system was working. Then I met Marie. She was a few years older than me, and worked in nutrition. We met through work; I brought her farming samples to study. We started talking more, and I quickly fell in love with her. It took me a long time to win her over. Silver with Bronze. It never happened. But she liked me and couldn’t help it.”
I had never known someone to marry outside their color assignment. The idea of Sven and Marie walking down the street holding hands, wearing unmatched insignia...it was as strange as seeing someone from outside the community walking around.
“What was Marie like?”
“She was warm and kind,” Sven said. He was holding back his emotions, protecting himself from hurt. “She was feisty. Kind of like you, Yami.” I blushed. “I sort of suspected she was up to something in secret, but like I said, it took me a while to figure it out. Her work as a nutrition meant she worked with the F-Lab as well. She was confused by the lack of progress, and it led her to joining the Underground. Which led to her death.”
“I’m so sorry, Sven,” I said. I was flattered that Sven would go into all this detail with us, even though I knew he was partially doing it for my own health.
“Yeah,” said Daphne. “A wife is a terrible person to lose. I wish we could find the people she knew.”
“Me too,” said Sven. He was back to his matter-of-fact tone. “Yami, why were you running so fast?”
“I got caught!” I suddenly remember what brought me here. “Ravi’s information was wrong. A maintenance worker came in and found me. I made up some excuses but...It was barely enough. I got out, and once I left the gates, I sprinter over here.”
Sven frowned. “How could that have happened?” Daphne exclaimed. “Ravi wouldn’t have made a mistake.
Sven typed something on his TekCast. “I’ll have Matana talk to Li Fa,” he said. “I know Li Fa doesn’t like you and your friends, Etta. If he had something to do with this, we’ll find out.”
I was grateful for the help. Daphne grinned and rubbed my arm affectionately. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “If it’s Li Fa, he’ll have hell to pay.” Sven closed his TekCast.
“Yami, are you ok to walk a little while?”
I nodded. I was gaining my focus back, and didn’t want us to wait any longer.
It was still relatively early in the day, and the sunlight helped me stay awake and alert. There was no time to stop, so I kept going, one foot after the other. Sven stopped us to replace the bandages on my face and hands. Daphne rubbed my back, trying to draw my attention away from the pain. I grimaced through it, then got up and started walking some more. I hated being the one taken care of. I wanted to be stronger than this. Still, it was lucky that these were the two people here with me.
It was getting dark, and we stopped to set up camp. We would be able to return to camp by the next evening. While we lay under extra blankets and stayed close to each other for warmth, Sven’s TekCast buzzed. He read the message, then passed it to us to read.
“E/B taken. Someone ratted them out.” From Matana.
Daphne and I gasped, but Sven maintained his composure. He wrote back. “Who took them?”
“Authorities came through. Messed up camp, set fire to supply shed. We put it out. Everyone is safe.”
I felt a darkness around the edges of my vision, but willed myself not to faint. It couldn’t be true. How could anyone have found Etta and Breck? Did the program Charlie created to hide their messaging give out? How would that happen when Etta and Breck were only in contact with me.
“Yami, I know you want to move, but you need to rest,” said Sven. “We can’t do anything until we get to the camp.”
“We can get up early, though, can’t we? Pick up the pace tomorrow. Maybe arrive by early afternoon.” Daphne looked back and forth between us with a fake smile. I only looked at Sven.
“That’ll be too late. My friends will be long gone by then.” I was shivering uncontrollably and my vision was narrowing. Daphne put her arm around me and squeezed me tight. “Do you think it was Li Fa?”
“I – I don’t know, Yami,” Sven said, pursing his lips. He tinkered with the blankets he had laid out for us. “I don’t think he would do that. But if he told Ravi to set you up like that...who knows. I’ll let Matana know that part.” He took his TekCast back out to send more messages.
“Do you want to hear more stories? Do you want to rest?” Daphne asked. “You really need to sleep, Yami. Do you think we’re in the clear with your concussion?”
I nodded. “When we get back there, I’m going after Li Fa.” Daphne frowned at me and turned to Sven, who just stared at us.
“Don’t say that, Yami,” Daphne purred. “You’re tired. We don’t know if he had anything to do with this...Is there anything you picked up in the storage building that could help you sleep?”
I couldn’t move, so Daphne sorted through the bag until she found a sleeping pill. I didn’t want to take it; I wanted to run back to camp and find my friends. There must be something else I could do. But no ideas were coming to me.
“I don’t need it,” I said. “I’ll sleep for a few hours just fine; I’m tired from limping around.”
Sven’s face was kind and worried. “Ok, Yami,” he said. “We can leave at sunrise.”
Daphne seemed unsure what to do, but after a moment, she settled down to sleep. I lay in bed thinking about Breck and Etta. Where was Ben? Was he done with us completely now? Why hadn’t he helped save our friends? And what was I going to do about Li Fa?
I fought my sleepiness to send one last message to Charlie.
“E-B captured. Can you find them?”
“Will try” he responded.
Sleep took over and I collapsed into my blankets. I could hear Daphne and Sven whispering, and saw Sven typing out more messages in the pink glow of the holoscreen. I fell asleep, unable to shake my terror but unable to avoid the exhaustion I felt in my bones.
Chapter Nineteen
I slept poorly. I woke now and then, watching Sven’s stomach rise and fall in his sleep. Then I would fall back asleep myself. I finally woke to see the sunrise. With exhaustion unlike any other, I forced myself awake and woke Sven and Daphne.
“We need to move. Now.”
Sven an
d Daphne didn’t take long to follow my orders. They hurriedly repacked our bags of supplies, made me eat a protein pack, and Sven led the way back to camp. I kept up a fast pace, taking over the lead with the help of Sven’s map. I wanted to know what was happening, and I needed to get back to where my friends were last seen.
Sven told me more about his messaging with Matana. “She said a group of regional security guards came in, hollering and threatening violence if they didn’t get what they wanted. They ordered the camp to give up Etta and Breck. When people took too long, afraid of what would happen to the two, the guards set the fire. After that, Etta and Breck left their hiding place in the garden shed, giving themselves up. No one was injured too badly, and the fire was extinguished. But Etta and Breck were handcuffed and led away on a truck.”
“A truck?” Daphne frowned. “I haven’t seen a truck except in pictures. I didn’t know they still existed.”
“They probably want to avoid the monorails,” I said. “Breck and Etta in handcuffs will raise suspicion.” I felt my anger grow. “Sven, do they know where my friends were taken?”
“No way to tell,” he said. “And we don’t know how they knew Breck and Etta were with us.”
“What does Matana think about Li Fa?”
“She’s been talking with him, and they checked don’t think he told anyone about your friends. He did, however, tell Ravi to send us the wrong maintenance schedule.”
I felt steam rising from my chest to my face.
“There isn’t anything to do about it now, Yami,” said Sven. “Li Fa has been with the camp since the start. He’s rough, and he made a stupid decision. We’ll decide as a community what to do about him.”
My anger drove me to walk faster. By mid afternoon, we had arrived back at camp. Matana greeted us with tight hugs. She focused on my face, which still looked like a mess.
“I don’t know what you’ve been through, but there’s no time to bring you up to speed. We located the mole in our midst. Come this way.”
Matana led us to the community room where we first met her. I was swaying a bit on my feet from my concussion and lack of rest, but was resolved to stay awake and maintain my senses. The community room was well lit, and two camp members I didn’t know were sitting on chairs on either side of the guilty party. Only it wasn’t Li Fa.
It was Ben.
I lunged at him without thinking, trying my best to kick, punch, and scratch him with all my strength. I couldn’t feel the aching in my hand or face. I wanted to cause him as much pain as possible. I felt arms holding me back, one person on either side of me. With a final surge of energy, I spit on Ben’s face. He had leaned back in his chair to halfheartedly avoid my attack, but once I was off of him, he stared at the floor. His shirt was disheveled from my assault, and he was shaking. I never knew our friend could do something so cruel.
“We suspected it was Ben since he’s been spending so much time on the outskirts of the camp,” said Matana. “Since Li Fa did admit to getting you caught on the resource run, I didn’t think he would have denied this. Once we found Ben, it was easy enough to check his TekCast. He’s been communicating with a council member from your former community. He wanted to share the news about the pregnancy across the nation. I doubt he understood what the repercussions would be.”
“What are you going to do with him?” Sven asked. “This is an unacceptable breach of the camp’s trust. We’ve been exposed and attacked. Our guests, though they may not have been full members of the camp, were taken.”
“I’d like to hold a vote in the camp as to what to do with him,” said Matana. She looked at me. “We want a democracy, so we need to act like one ourselves.”
“I want him gone,” I said. “I want him set out in the wilderness with no TekCast and no supplies. I want him to be truly banished from society. And kick Li Fa out alongside him.”
“Unfortunately, you don’t have a say in this, Yami,” said Matana. “You’re not a part of this camp. The issue with Li Fa will be handled separately.”
“You must be joking!” I yelled. “He betrayed Etta and Breck. He sent them to be experimented on. Maybe murdered. He has to pay for this. And how is Li Fa’s case that different?”
“You’re not a member of the camp, Yami,” Matana repeated. “You can stay for the discussion, and you may speak your mind, but you will not have an actual vote.”
I was fuming and ready to attack Matana now. She saw the bitter anger in my face and continued.
“If you stand in the way of our democratic process, you will need to leave the camp,” she said. “Follow our rules or leave.”
I threw myself down on a chair across from Ben and stared at his face, which sagged with exhaustion and fear. He wouldn’t look at me. I could see red in the corners of his eyes, and wondered if he was sorry for what he did. Maybe he was worried about Breck and Etta. He had no right to any of these feelings.
“How could you do this?” I leaned forward to sneer at him. “Breck is your best friend. You came with us to help us find a way to deliver Etta’s child! What’s wrong with you?”
“I told you, Yami,” Ben said shakily as everyone watched our exchange. He shivered in the cold, not having been provided with any extra layers. “The only way to fix what’s wrong with our communities is through sharing what’s happening and what we know. People deserve to know what’s going on. I don’t see any other way that could happen. You don’t understand it now, but what I did was best for everyone.” I laughed loudly. He was an arrogant traitor. He had no idea what he had done.
“Enough.” Sven stood up. He spoke directly to Ben now. “You’ll stay here and be quiet while the other camp members join us to decide your fate. I’d advise you to keep your mouth shut while we discuss what to do with you.”
Ben went silent, staring at his feet again. The camp members on either side of him were on high alert, ready to step in if Ben tried to escape or if I tried to attack him again. I continued to level a furious stare at him while Matana and Sven arranged for the camp members to join us and vote on Ben’s punishment.
AN HOUR LATER, THE room was packed; everyone in camp was there. Ben sat towards the front of the room. People stared at him, mumbling about what had happened. I suddenly realized that I hadn’t reached out to Charlie to see if he knew what was happening. I sent him a message. “Ben at fault. Any news?”
I received a message a few minutes later while people were still talking amongst themselves. “Investigating.”
With a sigh, I rested my TekCast in my lap and watched Matana call the group to order.
“As you know, we have had visitors in our camp seeking refuge while they planned how to manage their friend’s pregnancy. We have provided them with food and resources in exchange for their work. While they were not yet members of the camp, we tried to protect them when authorities came looking for the baby’s parents. When the authorities tried to set fire to the building, the parents gave themselves up in an act of self-sacrifice. We determined the source of the betrayal, the man sitting in front of the room, and will now hear your opinions as to what to do with him.”
“What about the girl?” someone yelled, pointing at me. I felt old Yami return, ready to attack my accuser. It took all my strength to hold back. I fidgeted in my seat, fiddling with my bandages and then holding the edge of the seat tightly until my knuckles turned white
“Yami was on a resource run with Sven and Daphne while this incident took place. While she is not a member of the camp, she is not on trial tonight. And as many of you know, she was set up to be caught by Li Fa and his contact Ravi. We will discuss next steps for Li Fa during a separate meeting.”
Matana began to call on people who raised their hands.
The group was divided. Some of them wanted to send Ben to the authorities, but no one wanted the camp to be further implicated. They also feared that the communities would support Ben’s betrayal and welcome him back as a hero. Some people wanted to banish Ben completely fr
om the camp and let him fend for himself in the wilderness. Others disagreed, saying that was effectively a death sentence. We would be no better than the government who banishes its own people, someone said.
The debate lasted two hours. Matana tried to guide the group towards a consensus. I raised my hand to speak.
“What Ben has done is unforgiveable,” I said. People nodded in agreement, though a few glared at me. I wasn’t exactly welcome to give my opinion, no matter what Matana had said. “I have as much right to be furious with him as the other people in this room. He betrayed my friends, the people he promised to protect, all in the name of a cause that is bound to fail. We cannot let him go unpunished.”
“Yami, what do you propose?” Matana asked.
“I agree with both sides. We can’t let him return to Young Woods. They’d...I don’t know. Throw him a parade. We also can’t send him into the wilderness, or we’ll be as bad as the government we’re fighting against.”
“Don’t say ‘we’ little girl,” someone called. I didn’t recognize the speaker. “You’re not one of us, and you’ve made it clear. I don’t care what you think we should do.”
“I told Yami she was free to speak, but she will not have a vote in this matter,” Matana said. “More than any of us, she has an understanding of what has happened and how it affects our society.”
I continued. “I can’t think of a perfect solution, but I have one in mind. I think we – you – should send Ben out into the wilderness with a map and supplies, but no TekCast. He can find a community to integrate himself into. If he chooses, he can try to convince someone to help him get into touch with our Chancellor. He may be arrested for the part he has played in all of this. He may find his way back to Young Woods. But no one here will be responsible for his death or his success. We’ll leave that up to him.”
Matana nodded. “Thank you, Yami. Let’s hear from camp members about this proposal before we make a decision.”