SHATTERED

by S. C. Deutsch

  General Spurge had welcomed Ana to his workspace. Ana couldn’t really call it an office since it was more an open room with a large table in the center. Several chairs were ranged around it and tabs of different sizes and ages scattered across the top. The General had two open and was switching between them, intently comparing whatever information he was being shown. Ana perched on a chair and waited patiently for him to finish.

  General Spurge had been sympathetic and broke the news as gently as he could. But there was only so much he could do, and Ana found herself weeping once more, no longer caring what happened to her.

  Rosita was gone and assumed dead. Her restaurant no longer existed, a clothing market now occupying the space. Most of the local vendors claimed not to know anything about either her or the restaurant, leading the people sent to look for her to believe the government had been involved and the locals were frightened. They eventually found someone willing to admit to Rosita’s existence, but they would only say that several transports had appeared in the middle of the night and the next morning, it was like she and her restaurant had never existed. No rumor of her had been heard since and General Spurge believed Rosita had been made to disappear.

  Ana’s father had also disappeared. Two of General Spurge’s agents had gone to the house before Ana’s mission began, intent on getting him to the compound, but found the house dark and empty. Concerned, they entered through the kitchen, searching for information. In Ana’s room, they found a large bag with her name on it. Taking the bag, they secured the house and left. Commander Spurge slid the bag across the floor to her. He explained they had been quietly searching for her father, only discovering he had not returned to his job after Ana’s second break from the Academy. Ana asked several questions, discovering that the transport was gone, and her father’s office was empty. They also told her it appeared her father had packed a bag himself as his room was a disaster. Ana concluded something scared her father, and he had fled in an effort to escape. Unfortunately, she had no idea where he might have gone or how he would have managed to get out of the sector, leading her to reluctantly conclude he was now in the clutches of the Premier and Vice Premier.

  Ana’s mother had taken Niall and relocated to Gasca. With Ana and Jax gone, she had no reason to remain in Virmar and her request had been granted. Ana didn’t care about her mother, but she was very concerned about Niall. Unfortunately, she couldn’t save him. She briefly thought about making new vids but discarded the idea, worried about the problems it might cause.

  The dome had not collapsed but the system had shorted out and repairs would take months, possibly over a year. The creatures had slaughtered every person but one before the military was able to destroy them. It would take years for the system to get back up and running, which was a relief. Anna hoped the government would be overturned before that happened.

  The yacht had been completely destroyed and the detention center was heavily damaged. The government was hesitant to use heli-crafts to transport children to the island, wanting the vehicles available at a moment’s notice. To date, no children had been sent and it appeared it would remain that way for the foreseeable future.

  The spiders and the Ra-murs were also a problem. Right now, the Ra-murs were comforting the children. Jax spent time with them but Ana had little motivation to do anything and couldn’t bring herself to tell General Spurge she and Jax could communicate with their hands. She kept it quiet, only signing with her companion when no one was around, but without the book, progress stalled.

  General Spurge asked Ana if she had any specific plans for the Ra-murs or the spiders and she told him no, her only concern that they survive the possible destruction of the island. She explained the Ra-murs were very intelligent and could probably help in some way. She also told them about the spiders’ friendliness and web-spinning abilities, telling the general they might also be able to help. He nodded, saying he would discuss it with the rest of his people, then dismissed her.

  Ana dragged herself back to her room, toting the bag. When she arrived, she opened it, surprised with what she found. Her father had packed several sets of clothes and two books, one that appeared to contain copies of official documents from before the Great War. Documents with names like the Declaration of Independence, The Gettysburg Address, and The Constitution of the United States of America. Ana had no idea what the documents were but if her father felt they were important, she would guard them with her life.

  The second book was another journal, blank except for an inscription on the first page:

  “To my darling Ana,

  Never give up and you will eventually succeed. Remember everything and you will forever be wise. Love with all your heart and you will find happiness. Fly high, my fierce little hawk. You have finally found your wings.

  Love always,

  Dad”

  Ana started crying as she read the message. Her father had included a writing instrument so she could record whatever she wished. Ana placed the journal on the bedside table and continued searching the bag. She next discovered a necklace, a small hawk dangling from a silver chain. Placing it around her neck, she took a final look inside the bag, finding one last item. A folded note from her father, hastily written.

  The note raised Ana’s hopes and dashed them at the same time. Her father had indeed fled. Rosita had been taken and executed, as had her entire family, and word had come he was next. But he had discovered Bree still lived and he was determined to find his first and deepest love, hoping to right the wrongs of the past. Her father had fled to Centra and beyond.

  Her grief overwhelming, Ana had taken to walking further and further afield, often losing sight of the compound for hours. Jax always accompanied her so she never worried about finding her way back. The walks calmed her, and the stillness of the surrounding countryside made her forget her grief for a little while. Today, though, the walk was not helping, the news she received last night sending her thoughts into a turmoil.

  General Spurge had made it his mission to try and help Ana heal. He gave her space and time, allowing her to come to terms with everything on her own. Ansil often joined her in the evenings, the pair sitting in the great room and discussing whatever they felt like. In this way, she discovered Snick had declined Jan’s offer and returned to his family. Ana hoped the Vice Premier had kept his word.

  Last night, the subject had been Jan, much to Ana’s dismay.

  Ansil was Jan’s uncle and was who Jan had gone to live with after his first stay on the island. By that time, he was already working with the opposition and drew Jan into the fold. Ana asked why Jan’s death didn’t seem to upset him. His response floored her.

  “Ana,” Ansil had said. “Jan is not dead. They would not have executed him.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Ana asked, wanting so hard to believe but finding it impossible to do so. “We committed treason. That’s always a death sentence. I find it unlikely the government would allow him to live.”

  “For most people, yes,” Ansil replied. “But not for Jan. It would never be allowed.”

  “Why? What makes Jan so special?”

  “Ana,” Ansil said, a serious look on his face. “Don’t you know who his mother is? Did Jan never tell you?”

  “No. Is it important?”

  “Jan’s mother is Premier Vanessa Raven. Jan is the son of the most powerful person in Atlantica.”

  Ansil’s statement rendered Ana speechless. No wonder Jan never talked about his family. And no wonder he had been able to do things Ana had believed would be impossible. His mother had been opening doors for him.

  “And his father?” she whispered once she finally found her voice. “Who is his father?”

  “Only Jan and his mother know for sure. But whoever it is, that information will probably never be known. The scandal of Premier Raven having a child that she hid would destroy her career and send Atlantica into chaos. It’s why Jan never talks about it. That and his anger towards his mother for
what he feels is abandonment.”

  “So if Jan is not be sentenced to death, what are they going to do with him? He claimed his mission was to keep an eye on me. But I’m out of reach and it’s not like they can send him back to the Academy or to the island. What will they do with him?”

  “You did not hear this from me. General Spurge doesn’t want you to know, afraid of how you’ll react. But rumor has it Jan is being sent into exile. I’m not sure why, but I believe Jan convinced his mother to let him go for reasons of his own. It could be his new mission is to infiltrate the sectors there, looking for traitors and spies. It’s something Jan would be very good at. But as for his real reason, I have no idea. Only Jan knows that.”

  Ansil’s news had kept Ana up most of the night. Jan was not dead. He was alive, although still out of reach. But the fact both he and her father still lived gave Ana her first glimmers of hope. She left early for her daily walk, unable to deal with the claustrophobic feeling the compound gave her. She took her pack, stuffed with her weapon, the two books, and the loose papers she still had. She found herself shoving a spare set of clothes inside, thinking she might be gone for the night, and set off, grabbing several pieces of fruit after breakfast. She walked for hours, not paying attention to where she was going, as she digested everything she had learned.

  Ana began to wonder if what she had been told was of any real use. She couldn’t see any way it would be, but her father’s words echoed in her head. Having nothing else to look forward to, she thought about trying to steal a heli-craft and fly into Centra. Discarding the idea, she continued hiking, not seeing the fence until she almost walked into it.

  Coming to a stop, Ana peered through the links. The other side looked no different than this one, trees and mountains stretching into the distance. She looked up, noticing the razor wire along the top for the first time. Gazing down the fence-line, Ana saw a sign attached to one of the support poles. Most of the fence was obscured by bushes and the only reason she had walked up to it was because the one here had died, eventually rotting and being scattered by either the weather or animals. She stepped back and continued walking, periodically separating the bushes while she searched for the sign. When she finally found it, she saw it was a warning, claiming no one was allowed past that point. Ana had found the border to Centra.

  Ana had always been told the border fence was electrified. But she heard no hum, and it appeared the fence wasn’t monitored. She concluded it was probably a story put out by the government, a warning to Atlantica’s citizens that even if they decided to leave their sector, there was nowhere to go. She stepped closer and tentatively reached out, touching one link lightly. Nothing happened, so she placed her palm on it next. When the fence stayed inert, she backed up again and stared at it thoughtfully.

  “Well, Jax, what do you think?” she asked her companion. Jax signed the word for stop and danger.

  “You’re probably right, but is it really more dangerous than what we’ve been through?”

  Jax shook her head, signing the word love and pointing at Ana. Ana signed back, then turned and continued walking, parting the bushes periodically.

  They eventually petered out, the ground turning to stone as a small creek cut through it. Ana could now see the land on the other side of the fence sloped away gently, the creek falling a short distance before ending in a pool at the bottom. Stepping over the stream, she continued a little further, lightly running her hand across the links. She supposed she should probably turn around soon. But something pushed her on and she travelled further, eventually seeing what she had subconsciously been looking for.

  One of the poles had tilted, probably from rain loosening the dirt around the base. At some point, the links had started to separate from the bottom of the pole, leaving a gap. Ana stared at it for several moments, then looked at Jax, who nodded. Reaching into the pocket of Jan’s coat, she grabbed his heavy glove and put it on. Pulling the links back, she made a hole large enough for her to step through if she bent her head.

  “I’m coming, Jan,” she said, fingering the bracelet wrapped around her wrist. “Just like I said I would. Wait for me, my love.”

  Taking one last look at Atlantica, Ana stepped through the fence.