by JM Butcher
“While the virus was successful, the ultimate transgression failed. This group of Transgressors have put themselves at risk for possible exposure, despite using a scapegoat.
“Most of you know this unfortunate individual. His name is William, or Billy, Conroy. I understand he was a classmate of some of you at Crosswoods High. He was a friend of mine. Billy was not only sacrificed to the Coats; he was also deleted by the transgression group before being set up.
“I tell you all of this for a couple reasons. First, this is not how we operate here. I am not denying that we, myself included, have not used transgressive means that ended in the death of innocent people. I admit that sacrifices must be made. However, we never so recklessly force our own people into danger or sacrifice. We would never put those residents in harm’s way. And we never make victims out of the people we aim to protect. We must remember who we are!”
“The second reason I tell you this is because we are at great risk. The entire Union is at great risk. This group of Transgressors has access to chips across our republic. And they have proven they have the resources to send viruses at will. Thousands and thousands of chipped people across the Union are susceptible to a virus of this sort. It is not a matter of if another Cyber Transgression will happen; it is a question of when and how large.”
“I believe a mass infection will happen soon. These Transgressors do not have a lot of time. All qualified government personnel are looking into Cyber Transgressions and will develop methods to prevent such attacks. Therefore, this group will move soon. They will not let their efforts and resources be wasted.
“I predict we are looking at days, if not hours.
“About half of us here are chipped. There is no way of knowing whose chips have been hacked. I urge you all to leave the Union. The risk of crossing the border is much less than the risk of becoming a pawn and being sent to your death. You should be able to get to the Western Republic without much resistance. The South might be more difficult.
“For the rest of you, I warn you to be prepared for mass anarchy, mass violence, mass destruction—especially when the government reacts. It might be an all-out war. If you want to leave the Union, no one here will blame or judge you. If you choose to stay and take cover, no one here will blame or judge you.
“If you choose to fight, we gather sedatives and we gather weapons. We contain as much carnage as we can and spare the lives of as many infected people as possible.
“If you choose to go with me, we take on a mission. There is a major government facility here in Dayton. That is why we built the camp here.
“There is a chance that a chip power center is located there. While I make no promises, if we can disable the center, we temporarily can free those with chips. Maybe we can prevent the infection of some.
“It will be dangerous and may be impossible. My plan might not be great, but I owe it to our brothers and sisters to try.
“Speaking of which, I have reached out to some of our brothers and sisters in Ohio for help, as well as others across the Union. I hope the message gets out.
“I want to emphasize the gravity of this situation. We face mass destruction and thousands of deaths. In the end, this will only make the government tighten laws against those who fail the Exam.
“No good can come out of this. For our movement to continue, we must not let our chipped brethren needlessly die without purpose.
“Leave or help. No matter what you decide, do it quickly.”
The effectiveness of Jack’s speech is evident immediately. In addition to loud cheers, numerous people panic and run for their tents.
I need to find Jack.
“Jack! Jack!” I fight through the crowd to try to reach the man of the hour. I can’t locate him over all the heads. This is one of the many times I wish I were tall like Melli.
Frantic people run in every direction. Parents scramble to find their kids. When they do find them, they struggle to keep them close. Teenagers weep or scream out battle cries. Others rush to the stage to inform Jack of their decisions.
I’m among this group. But rather than announcing a decision, I want to ask him questions. After all that he’s put me through, I deserve that. I deserve answers. He should be searching for me right now.
Instead, elbows bounce off my head, and my feet are trampled on. Sweat dampens my clothes. There’s no telling if the sweat is from me or from Jack’s raging groupies. If I ever make it to him, I might not have a chip to worry about or limbs to be of any help.
As I continue my march forward, people eventually recognize me and let me through. Finally, it pays to be Maggie Gordon. When I’m within ear’s range, I yell, “Jack! Jack! You owe me! Talk to me! Jack!” He’s involved in too many conversations to hear me. “I hate to bother you, but could you lift me onto the stage?” They are more than happy to oblige.
Jack acknowledges my presence but turns back to an ongoing conversation. When my persistence reaches his tolerance limit, he says, “Maggie, leave. Leave the Union. Now.”
“No,” I reply. “I want to know Mother’s part. I know you know. You owe me that!”
“Maggie.” Jack’s up in my face. “You don’t want to know. Leave. Leave the Union. Take your friends. Go save your friend in Florida. Go West. I don’t care. But go.”
He turns to leave, but I stop him. “Why don’t I want to know?”
Jack’s raised eyebrows display serious concern. “You’ll find out if you don’t get the hell out of here! If you’re alive long enough.”
“What does that mean?!” I scream.
“Maggie,” he says, “it means you’re screwed. You know you’re chipped. You know they’re looking for you. You know they have access to your chip. It means you need to go now. Or you and all of your friends are in danger. They might keep you alive, but not your friends. Do it for them. Go.” His eyes don’t move from mine.
It’s hard to argue with him. He makes perfect sense. He usually does. And I hate him for that. If I stay, I’m done. My friends are done. Tyler’s done. But if I go, all of this is for nothing.
It’s as if Jack reads my mind. He says, “Live to fight another day. This is not for nothing. You’re still the key. But you have to disappear for a while.”
“Okay,” I say. “Just tell me, is Mother working directly with Hayden? Is she killing the Unfavorables? Is he worthless to her without me?”
“I don’t know, Maggie. Honestly. She’s a Transgressor, probably a killer. Maybe a hero, maybe a monster. Find out later. You need to live right now. Go! Leave, now!”
I start to walk away.
“Wait! Maggie!” Jack calls out. “I left you a car. Gia knows. Make her go with you. Tell her I already left. Tell her anything. But she goes with you!”
I nod.
“By the way, Maggie. Your mom hates Hayden.” He winks at me and spins away until the crowd swallows him whole. He’s known about Mother all along.
I smile knowing that Mother doesn’t like Hayden. She’s just been using him to get what she wants. To get me. That in no way means she’s not a monster. And it in no way means her plans for me are innocent. But it does mean we share one thing—a hate for that prick.
It also means that Hayden needs me, or else he’s got no card to play with Mother.
Jack’s right again. I have to leave. I sprint back to my shelter.
When I arrive at Tent 12, the whole group is waiting for me. Melli, Lexa, Tyler, Livvy, and Gia. All of their bags are packed. They didn’t need Jack to convince them that, as long as I’m with them, there’s no other choice but to head for the border.
Looking at Gia, I say, “Hey Gia, Jack…no, Johnny told me to…”
“I know,” Gia cuts me off. “He won’t let me get hurt, and he wants me to look after you. It’s okay. We’ll catch him on the flipside.” She forces a smile, but it’s obvious that she’s hurting. She understands that Jack’s chances of making it out without prison or death are slim to none.
“The car
’s out back,” Lexa says. “We’ll head to the West. It’ll be easier to get you through.”
“No,” I bark, as we go to the car. “We’re going to Ronnie.” Nobody argues.
Jack managed to get us a u-Ford Exploder. A four-door SUV with enough trunk space for whatever stuff we’re taking with us. It’s a selfie. Three of us haven’t learned to drive yet. That leaves Melli and possibly Gia. A selfie is probably better, though, if we have to make split-second detours.
As we’re loading the vehicle, a ruckus ensues in the middle of camp. I look out the window to see what the commotion is about. I see Gia and Melli look over my shoulder as well.
Three kids—two boys and a girl—stand in front of a pack of people. One boy and the girl carry baseball bats. I’m too far away to be certain, but it looks like the other boy holds a firearm. The people facing the kids appear hesitant to move toward the kids; however, they’re all yelling something. Some pushing and pulling ensues among the crowd.
Out of nowhere, a teenage girl busts through our group, knocking down Lexa. As Gia curses at the girl, the girl flips her off. She’s carrying a pipe in the other hand.
“It’s starting,” Gia says.
“What is?” I ask, helping Lexa up.
“Then why isn’t Maggie…” Melli trails off before finishing her question.
They all turn to me as if they all know something that I don’t. Apparently, they do, because they slowly take steps backwards away from me. They’re afraid of me.
“What are you all doing?” I ask. “Shouldn’t we be leaving?”
Melli and Gia take turns whispering things into each other’s ears. Then, they look back at me. Both are wide-eyed. So are the other three. Their stares remind me of the freak-out I had in the compound lunch room. They scare me, but they’re more scared of me.
A loud popping sound, followed by a few more, steals their attention. In the center of camp, one of the boys takes free aim at the crowd, and the other three attack the crowd with their weapons of choice.
Gia looks to me, then quickly back to the action. Someone jumps on the back of the gunman and sticks something into his neck. The gunman instantly drops to the ground. The other three attackers meet the same fate within a few seconds.
“We gotta go!” I scream. “The virus…”
“Then, why aren’t you…” Gia doesn’t need to finish her question.
Why am I not carrying a weapon? Why am I not attacking people? If a virus has been sent out, I should be infected. But I’m not. At least, I don’t think I am.
“What’s your name?” Gia asks.
“Shut up, Gia,” I retort.
“No,” Melli says, “what’s your name?”
“Melli, stop being weird.” I head for the car.
“Where are we going?” Lexa asks.
“To Ronnie. Let’s go,” I say.
“All right, ya freakin’ yahoos,” Olivia says. “She’s not infected. Let’s go and talk about it later.”
Hayden has access to my chip. If he spread the virus to all the hacked chips across the Union, then I should be infected. It doesn’t make sense. I stand still in confusion, as the rest of them hop into the car.
Tyler yells through the open door. “Hey, Margie! Get your tail in here!”
Looking at the ground, I walk to the car and get in. “Why am I not infected?”
“Who knows?” Gia says as she starts the car. “Consider yourself lucky…for now.” She presses down on the pedal and skids away.
“Put Kansas into the GPS,” Lexa orders. “We don’t have to stop there, but it will get us to the West.”
“Put in Florida,” I say.
“Maggie…”
“No. Ronnie’s in Florida, and I want to see Orlando Beach. Put in Florida.”
“Okay, hotshot,” Gia says. “I like the guts. This is gonna be fun!”
Chapter 24
STATE OF EMERGENCY
Homeland Protection Services has issued a Transgression Emergency. The warning goes out to the Union Republic and all of its neighboring states.
Again, Homeland Protection Services has issued a Transgression Emergency for the Union Republic and for the following states: Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, and Virginia.
The entire Union Republic is under a Cyber Transgression attack. Urban and other highly populated areas will be affected the most, but everyone is at risk.
Take cover. Defend yourselves if necessary, but do not approach the Transgressors.
This Transgression Emergency is in effect until further notice.
Homeland Protection Services, 17 October, 2040
“How ya doing?” Melli leans over the center console and rests her hand on my forearm. “Still with us?” It’s her turn to ask if my brain’s been overtaken by the Hayden-virus.
Has it already been three minutes?
“No virus yet,” I say, “that I know of. But maybe only someone with the virus would say that.” I attempt a sinister laugh, but it sounds more like a baby crying.
I don’t think they appreciate my anxious humor, but I need something to entertain myself. Only the cornfields of western Ohio could bore someone during a time like this. Between the lacking scenery and the constant check-ins, I’m starting to wish I had the virus. And we’ve only been on the road for thirty-six minutes.
“Chill out, Maggie,” Gia snaps, focusing on the road. “Ya should just be happy people care about you.”
“Speak for yourself,” Tyler says. “We just wanna know if she’s turned into a soulless robot ready to beat us to a bloody pulp.” He attempts his sinister laugh; he’s much better at it.
“You’ll be the first to go, Ty-ty,” Lexa says. This makes me chuckle. Lexa’s good at bringing Tyler back down to earth.
It’s really not boredom that’s agitating me. It’s fear that any minute I could become infected. It’s the astonishment that I haven’t been infected already. Uncertainty often is worse than the knowing—even if knowing confirms our biggest fear. Right now, the uncertainty is far worse than my biggest fear.
Hayden must have different plans for me. That’s my biggest fear. And not knowing what those plans might be is torturing me. Maybe that’s his plan, to keep me in suspense while thousands of other Unfavorables are thrown into a firing squad.
Following two more check-ins, one by Lexa and one by Tyler, the cornfields give way to plains. Plains enclosed by fences holding cows and sheep hostage. If I were a cow, would I want to know I’d never move beyond the barbed wire? Would I want to know that my only escape from the farm would be in plastic wrap? Or would I want to hold on to hope that one day I could be free?
In the case of the cow, ignorance may be bliss. But for me, ignorance is hell. I try to shake the thoughts from my head. Otherwise, I’ll obsess over the fact that I’m being a spoiled brat. I should be grateful for each moment that my head is my own. For each second I have with my friends.
“You cool, Magz?” Olivia asks.
“Yes, Mother,” I answer, grimacing at the fact I would even call her that without meaning anything by it. “I’m sorry, Olivia.”
“For what?”
“Nothing,” I reply. “How much longer ‘til Cincinnati?”
“Fifteen minutes or so,” Gia answers.
In fifteen minutes, we’ll be near the Ohio-Kentucky border. That’s where the moment of truth will be. Is there any way that we’ll be able to cross into the Southern Republic? Cincinnati has the largest checkpoint on the southern border of Ohio. It won’t be easy getting through.
We face three major obstacles. With the Union in a probable state of emergency, the borders very likely are closed. The authorities will want to contain the situation as much as possible. They won’t want to have to spend time hunting down refugees later.
And if they do happen to be open, the lines of people trying to leave might be too backed up to give us enough time to cross—in case I am transformed into a puppet.
Then, there’s me. Unf
avorables aren’t allowed to leave the state, let alone the republic. And if anyone recognizes my last name, there’s no chance. Worst of all, the authorities might have an APB out on me as a person of interest in the Northfield attack. The Coats found Mother’s picture in my locker, too. My face is out there.
Oh, and a fourth reason, the town might be in too much turmoil for us to pass through.
Gia was right. This should be fun. I’d like to know what her definition of fun is.
“Maggie, you all right?” It’s Melli’s turn again.
“Yes. Again, I’m still Maggie. You’re safe for now.” I accept that my sass won’t get me anywhere with them.
“Good,” Gia says, “because we’re about to the outer limits of the Nasty 'Nati. Freeway’s closed up ahead. Probably a mass evacuation in progress. Have to get off soon. If something is up, we’re about to know real quick.”
My heart speeds up and the perspiration begins. I really should start putting deodorant behind my knees. Melli catches on to my nervousness and reaches over the seat to rub my shoulders. It doesn’t relax me, but it does feel good.
After another mile or two, Gia veers right into the exit lane. Once off the freeway, she turns right onto Martin Luther King Drive East. We enter the outskirts of urban Cincinnati. No signs of destruction yet.
“All right, kids, keep your eyes open,” Gia warns. “Things are about to get interesting.”
“Do you have any freakin’ clue where you’re going?” Tyler asks.
“Shut up, ya prick!” Gia yells. She’s been calm this whole ride, but she’s starting to lose control. Let’s hope she doesn’t transform into a loose cannon. We need her alert. “Actually, I don’t have a freakin’ clue. I’m driving south. Any better ideas? I didn’t think so!”
“No,” Melli answers for us all, “but we need to think of something. We’re not getting through that.” She points ahead. I spoke too soon; the destruction is already underway.