SHATTERED

by S. C. Deutsch

  Ana started crying. The old woman had known something was up when she gave Ana the digi-drive. Rising, she headed to the shower. Standing under the hot spray, she let the tears fall, once more wishing she could go back in time.

  “Where were you?” Jan whispered, his voice demanding. “You were gone for hours.”

  Ana and Jan sat in the garden and Ana was unusually quiet. Jan had not noticed how depressed she was, consumed with worry. Ana continued to sit quietly, idly pulling bits of grass out of the ground as Jan continued to berate her. Unable to take it anymore, she held up her hand, stopping him mid-sentence.

  “Enough,” she said sharply. “I’ve had a really bad day and the last thing I need is you harassing me.”

  Jan jerked, surprised at Ana’s bad temper. He opened his mouth, then slammed it shut, knowing her temper would probably explode if he kept at her.

  Ana sighed, sorry she had snapped at Jan. It wasn’t his fault she was in a bad mood. She didn’t feel like talking and would have skipped tonight’s visit if it weren’t for Jax. She plucked a few more blades of grass and looked at Jan. He gazed back and Ana could see he was deeply concerned. Coming to a decision, she wiped her hands and leaned back.

  “I’m sorry, Jan. It’s not your fault and I shouldn’t take it out on you. I’ve got something to say, and it isn’t good.”

  Ana told Jan about the storm in Penncony. He nodded when she told him her suspicions, not saying anything but silently agreeing with her.

  His reaction however, when she told him where she had been and what her latest requirements were, scared her. Jan exploded, launching himself to a standing position and slamming his fist into a tree. Ana jumped to her feet, afraid he had broken something, and was relieved to see him flexing his fingers. Taking his hand, she put her other one on his lips, shushing him when it appeared he would start yelling.

  “Jan,” she whispered, “You need to stop. It’s over and done with and nothing you or I say will change it. I have no choice in this. I’m as unhappy as you are, but it could have been worse. You’re not going to be punished and my punishment would have happened no matter what. They would have found another reason. And if they couldn’t, they would have made one up.

  “But I guarantee you’ll be summoned. I’m sure they planned on doing it today, hoping to get to you before I did. But they have to attend to the catastrophe in Penncony first.”

  Ana told Jan the rest and he promised to tell them the same thing she had. She hoped they bought it.

  Jan calmed down, his usual easygoing nature slowly pushing the rage away. Sitting on the bench, he wrapped an arm around her when she sat down next to him.

  “Is there any way you can get me in there with you?” he asked. “I might be able to do a little sleuthing while you’re doing your reports.”

  “I doubt it. I’m getting a special tab that will only let me in when I’m scheduled to be there. I’ll have a guard glued to my side the entire time and can’t go walking around. The way the place is set up, there’s no way I can sneak you in. Besides, any attempt to get there will be picked up on the monitors. They’ll see you coming the minute you step off the path.

  “Let me see where they stash me next week. I might have a better idea of what I can get away with. But Jan, trying to get in there is more dangerous than having you sit with me here. I’m not sure I want to even try.”

  Jan stayed silent and didn’t argue when she asked to head back early, wanting to do some hard thinking once he was alone in his room. Kissing her goodnight, he discreetly followed, unwilling to let her out of his sight. Once she let herself in, he circled back around, waiting a good half hour before entering his own room.

  Ana changed into her pajamas, turned off the lights, and crawled into bed. She let her thoughts drift over everything that had happened and started to make connections. The more she thought about it, the stronger the connections became. She began to feel the first glimmers of hope.

  Ana now knew why the Academy had four heli-crafts. And that knowledge caused her to smile deeply. Another piece of the plan slid into place.

  Chapter 18

  Month 5

  Week 3

  Ana stood in the large open space with her hands clasped behind her back. The two sims sat on the floor side-by-side, squat boxes with no windows. Ana’s eyes danced with excitement and she had to force herself to remain still. The instructor was going over the rules and Ana tried to pay attention, but images of her flying a heli-craft kept intruding. Wrapped up in the fantasy, she failed to notice the second trainee arrive.

  “Going somewhere?” Jan whispered. “And without me?”

  Ana’s head snapped to the right and her eyes flashed.

  “What are you doing here?” she hissed, annoyed he kept showing up with the intention of surprising her. “I didn’t see you in the exam room when I took the test.”

  “I took it already,” he answered, smiling hugely. “When I showed an interest in the sim program, I was told I didn’t need to take it again.”

  Ana highly doubted that was true. She could smell Vice Premier Drake’s hand in this. There had been no way to hide what she was doing and she firmly believed the Vice Premier told Jan to attend as well. Ana had not told Jan her plan yet here he was, acting like the two of them were learning to dance.

  “Miss Swift, Mr. Corvus, is there something you would like to share?”

  “No, Commander Impera,” Ana replied. “I was just bringing Mr. Corvus up to speed.”

  “Mr. Corvus would do well to show up on time,” the Commander responded sharply. “If Mr. Corvus is late again, he will lose his sim privileges.”

  Jan schooled his face, mimicking Ana’s stance. Ana stuck her tongue out and turned her attention back to the sims.

  The commander droned on, getting into the technical details of how the sims worked. Ana didn’t care. She only needed to learn how to take off, fly, and land. Jan, however, was becoming more interested the longer the commander spoke, interrupting frequently to ask questions Ana didn’t understand. At first, the commander seemed annoyed, but Jan’s knowledge impressed the man, and the two were soon involved in a deep discussion. Ana let her mind drift, eager to get inside and start training.

  Ana had spent the last several months getting ready for the test. It had taken an entire afternoon and been incredibly difficult. She had spent days worrying about the results and when the grades posted, whooped for joy. She spent the following day requesting the needed recommendations. Miss Hyster had given her a glowing one, allowing Ana to obtain one from everyone else. She submitted them that night and the answer came three agonizing days later. Reporting to the training center, she discovered she was the only student. Commander Impera told her they never took more than two and her grades were the only ones high enough for admittance. Ana suspected Vice Premier Drake had blocked any other student from attending. Until now.

  She had started her newest assignment the week after her meeting with the Premier. The Saturday morning trips had become routine and no longer bothered her. She still found the vids upsetting but discovered if she viewed them the same way she watched entertainment vids, they weren’t as difficult to get through. She could usually see how she would have handled the fight and often chastised the victim for their mistakes. The weaknesses in the creatures were more difficult and she often reviewed the vids more than once. Vice Premier Drake sometimes joined her, asking questions as she made notes on the tab. She often forgot he was there and found herself apologizing constantly. Vice Premier Drake eventually told her not to worry about it.

  Ana had done her best to scout out the building. The guard remained outside the office while she worked, and she was accompanied everywhere. The office was on the first floor, more than two-thirds of the way around the left side. There were offices on both sides of the hall and Ana’s faced the campus. It had a desk and chair, a large wall mounted vid, and one window. If Ana needed to use the Ladies room, the guard escorted her. The first couple o
f Saturdays, she tried to locate anything useful but had given up, only seeing one large elevator further down the hall.

  She initially spent some time gazing out the window. The view was bleak, nothing but a loading bay, several transport vehicles parked across from it, and some concrete buildings. There was also a tall, electrified fence that stretched from her left to behind the building opposite, attached to a tall pole with a security vid mounted on top. The fence continued behind the buildings before meeting another pole further down. It then turned back and disappeared behind the dome. The outside of the fence was hidden by tall bushes and it only had one gate that slid open when a transport came or left. Ana had no idea what the concrete buildings were for. There were four, each containing nothing but a garage door. The roofs were flat, and Ana could vaguely see what looked like more security vids on top. In the months she had been here, she had seen no activity other than an occasional transport arriving. She soon stopped watching and concentrated on her work.

  Until this past weekend. The fight she was watching had been tedious and boring and she was trying desperately to draw out the report when she suddenly heard loud noises outside. Startled, she rose and ran to the window.

  The garage door on the closest building was open and several people were running in and out. A large, wheeled trolley covered with a tarp was being towed by a small, remote controlled vehicle. Several guards flanked it and stopped when it entered the building, guarding the entrance. Ana couldn’t see what was going on and when nothing more seemed to be happening, returned to her chair. Finishing the first half of the report, she heard a new sound but had no idea what it was. Returning to the window, she watched as the roof of the building swung open and folded in on itself. A bright white light began flashing on what she had thought were security vids, blinking as it made a circuit around the building. Ana saw a heli-craft rise, stopping a few feet above the roof. The roof lights began to circle faster and the heli-craft swung around, then flew away and disappeared behind the dome. Ana placed her face against the glass and tried to follow it, but it was no longer within sight. Turning back to the building, she saw the container return to the loading dock. The roof closed, several people exited the building, and the garage door slid back down with an audible thump. Ana sat back at the desk and smiled, the report in front of her momentarily forgotten. She had found the heli-crafts.

  Ana returned to the present. Jan looked at her and smiled hugely, and she stuck her tongue out again. Commander Impera indicated it was time and Ana climbed in. Familiarizing herself with the panel in front of her, she went through the checklist, mentally ticking off each item. When she was done, she pulled the helmet on and lowered the visor, tapping the side to engage the heads-up display. Placing her fingers on the panel in front, Ana started the sim as if it was a real heli-craft.

  The first flight only lasted a half hour and was intended to get her comfortable with the sim itself. The classes would become increasingly more complicated, and Ana couldn’t wait. She came out of the sim laughing with delight, her eyes shining and her hands still moving as if on the panel. All she could think about was what she had just done. Ana was finally learning how to fly.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you enrolled in the sim flight program?” Ana asked Jan that evening. The adrenaline rush had eventually worn off and her irritation had returned.

  “For the same reason you didn’t tell me,” Jan responded. He was smiling, but his eyes flashed with annoyance.

  “Not likely,” Ana snorted. “Did Vice Premier Drake have anything to do with this?”

  “No more than he did with you,” Jan said.

  “Jan,” Ana sighed, “I really need to know why you insist on training alongside me. You’ve never shown the slightest interest in flying. Why the sudden interest in the sim program? At the same time I’m doing it?”

  “I thought we were going to be honest with each other, Ana,” Jan replied, no longer smiling. “You never told me you were even taking the test.”

  “I never lied, Jan,” Ana responded. “I just kept it to myself.”

  “But why, Ana? Why keep this to yourself?”

  “For several reasons. First, I didn’t know if I was going to pass the test. Second, because I wanted to do this on my own. And third, because you would have asked me why. And when I told you, you would have tried to stop me.”

  “Ana, what are you doing?” Jan asked, staring intently. “Why are you so worried about how I’ll react?”

  Ana looked up at the night sky. There was no moon and the stars shone more brightly than usual. Sighing, she turned back to Jan and took his hands in hers.

  “Remember when you told Rosita you were going to help me save the children?”

  Jan nodded, encouraging Ana to continue.

  “I was so happy to hear you say that. But I made the vow and don’t expect anyone to help me. It’s too dangerous and if I fail, I will die. Along with anyone else who helps. I cannot put you, or anyone else, in that position.”

  “Ana, you need to tell me what you intend. No lies, no vague answers. What are you planning?” Jan’s hands gripped Ana’s tightly.

  “I told you,” she responded. “I’m going to save the children. Everyone else claims they care, but nobody is doing anything about it. I plan on changing that.”

  “How, Ana?” Jan asked, forcing himself not to shout. “How exactly do you plan on doing it?”

  “I’m going to learn to fly a heli-craft.”

  “And then?” Jan felt sick, having a good idea where this was going.

  “I’m going to steal one, fly to the island, and rescue the children. I’m also going to save the spiders and all the Ra-murs I can find. If possible, I’m going to destroy the detention center and yacht, too.”

  Jan grabbed Ana by the shoulders and shook her, unable to believe what he was hearing.

  “Are you out of your frigging mind?” he asked, his thumbs digging into her skin. “How the hell do you think you’ll be able to do this? Especially by yourself?”

  Ana was becoming angry. She knew Jan was going to fight her on this. For all his talk about helping her, he was no better than anyone else. To the rest of the world, the children were the least important. But to her, they weren’t. Her priority was, and always had been, saving them.

  “Obviously without you,” she said hotly. “I knew, just knew, this would be your response. For all your pretty words and promises, you’re still unwilling to back them up. Nobody else cares about those poor kids. Every time I bring it up, there’s always an excuse why they can’t be saved. I refuse to accept that. Everything I’ve done since I left the island was done solely to try and fulfill my vow. But the stakes are much, much higher now.”

  “Tell me what you know, Ana,” Jan said heavily, letting go of her shoulders. “I said I would help, and I will.”

  “Jan, you don’t understand,” she responded, annoyed he wasn’t listening. “I’m glad you want to help but I refuse to take it. I won’t put you at risk. There is little chance I’ll be successful. But I’ll hate myself forever if I don’t even try. I refuse to drag anyone else down with me.”

  “And you don’t understand, Ana,” Jan retorted, becoming angry. “I said I would help and I will, whether you want it or not. But if you refuse, you will never leave my sight again. I will hound your every waking moment. So think long and hard before you refuse again.”

  Ana clenched her fists, trying to control her anger. Why, oh, why, did he have to make everything so difficult? Glaring, she held his gaze, only lowering her eyes when it became obvious he wasn’t going to budge.

  “I found out where the heli-crafts are,” she said, barely controlling her rage. “I know what they’re being used for, so I know they’ll be big enough. I know approximately where the detention center is, and it shouldn’t be too hard to see from the air. I have a pretty good idea of where the island is and hope to get a more precise location during one of my chats with Vice Premier Drake. I didn’t say it would
happen today or tomorrow. But I am getting closer.”

  Jan was shocked Ana had figured out so much already. He now understood why she stopped looking at the digi-drive’s list. She already knew what she wanted to do.

  “Okay, Ana, let’s say you get everything you need. You find out where the detention center is, you find out the exact location of the island, you even figure out how to steal a heli-craft. Don’t you think that at some point the government will come after you? Remember, you’ll be flying one from here, but they can send one from Flaga once they realize where you’re going. And when they intercept you, they will shoot you down. If it’s after you’ve rescued the children, they will go down with you.”

  “I hadn’t gotten that far yet. It’s still in the planning stages.”

  “Ana, your intentions are noble. If more people in Atlantica felt the way you do, the government would have been overthrown decades ago. But this is not a one-person operation. You need help. You need support, back-up, somebody to cover your rear. Let me help. I have people I can reach out to. I’m sure they’ll try and talk me out of it. But once they see that we’re serious, they’ll provide the support. As well as a safe place to go if we’re successful.”

  Ana continued to look at her lap, her anger dissipating. Deep down, she already knew she would need help if she wanted to succeed. But she hesitated to ask anyone. Jan’s offer was welcome and if he could get her support, it increased the chances dramatically.

  “Let’s say I accept your offer,” she said quietly. “Can I count on you and your friends to stick with it? Even if it gets bad down the line?”

  “Ana, I swore I would protect you. I said I would help you save the children. I will stick to you like glue, no matter what. Once I convince my associates, they will do it for me. Their loyalty is unquestionable. Trust me.”