Inside

by Kyra Anderson

  “You’re too uptight,” Dana noted, rolling down his window as they passed through the two mangled noses of the police cars. He leaned out the window and waved at the police men, calling out to them. “We got this!”

  As he sat back in the car, Sean, whose mouth was slightly open shook his head and slapped his hand against the wheel in disbelief. “Oh my god…sometimes, I just can’t deal with you…” he said.

  “Aw, do I frustrate you?” Dana cooed.

  “Dana! Not now!” Sean snapped, slapping the wandering hands away from him. “I’m currently chasing down one of the best experiments you ever made, so I need to focus.”

  “Don’t worry, Sean…” Dana said, his voice laced with dark intentions. “Mr. Hyunwoo will be dealt with accordingly…”

  Agitprop

  “We have to do something now,” Vincent, one of Dana’s advisors said strongly.

  “I think you’re getting a little worked up about this,” Dana said, sitting relaxed in his desk chair.

  “I don’t understand why you’re not worked up about this!” he snapped. He looked at the other faces in the room, surprised to see that the shadows on the faces of everyone in there, apart from Dana, bespoke sorrow rather than worry.

  “What the hell is wrong with all of you?!” he barked. “This domestic terrorist group is gaining some traction with the people.”

  “Please…” Dana scoffed. “They’re babies.”

  “If they’re babies, how did they get this far?“ Vincent snapped. “I don’t understand why everybody is acting so blasé about this.”

  Dana also scanned the faces in the room, wondering if anyone was going to speak up. Thomas Sandover and Danielle Markus were looking at the ground, their faces creased with anxiety and pain. They had lost their children to the revolution, and they knew that the only way they would see them again was if the Commission captured and imprisoned them. Sean was also clearly upset, though Dana did not understand why his head of security seemed upset all the time. Sean used to be a lot more fun to play with, and even though he was proud of the way he had been whittling the man down, it was becoming clear that Sean was reaching his breaking point in dealing with the leader of the Commissioner of the People.

  Rather than worry about his advisor’s concerns with the Central Angel terrorist group, Dana began to contemplate how he was going to ease up on Sean so he could play with him a few years longer.

  Vincent looked around the room yet again, getting more frantic with the limited reactions.

  “We have to do something!”

  “Dana,” Sean started slowly, his eyes still to the ground, “perhaps it is time to and this game you’ve been playing.”

  Dana made a face, not wanting to agree with Sean, but also understanding that if the Central Angels gained more footing with in the American people, it was entirely possible that he could have a more difficult time winning.

  He heaved a sigh. “You’re probably right,” he admitted slowly.

  Though Vincent was relieved with Dana’s declaration, both Thomas and Danielle lifted their heads quickly, their eyes wide and horrified. They knew what it meant to have Dana take the Central Angels seriously.

  “The truth is, I was waiting for them to implode,” Dana explained. “And I know it is only a matter of time before that happens. There are about a hundred of them, maybe a few more, and they have to be close enough to the city that they can appear and disappear with relative ease when they demonstrate. That means that they’re in one of the abandoned buildings around Central, which also means they have limited food, sanitation will become a problem eventually, and close quarters will cause them to fight among themselves. I know how these revolutions work.”

  “But they’ve been doing well so far,” Sean noted. “That means that they thought through that.”

  “If I had to take a guess,” Dana started, “their real asset is Mark.”

  Danielle closed her eyes, hating the idea that Mark was also going to be killed if the revolution was captured.

  “Hard to believe that those chinks were able to plan enough to try and oppose you,” Vincent said, shaking his head.

  “Mark is certainly an asset. He’s also very dangerous to us now that he’s loose. He probably has more information in the rest of them combined,” Dana admitted. “But I think I may have a way to bring him down.”

  Everyone waited patiently for Dana to explain, but he did not go further.

  “Are you going to elaborate?” Sean pressed.

  “Let’s just say that I happen to know Mark’s greatest weaknesses, and it’s loyalty. That was the only reason we were able to keep him docile these last years. He was loyal to his family. Another fault that Mark has is that he has extensive knowledge of what it takes to have sufficient arms to outfit this rebellion.”

  “I would think that would be an asset rather than a fault,” Danielle murmured.

  “Oh, it certainly is,” Dana agreed. “I have something in the works currently—a trap from Mark. I’ve been working on it since I learned of his involvement.”

  “And you think he’ll fall into it?” Sean said skeptically. “He’s brilliant. He probably already thought out every trap you could possibly set for him.”

  “Perhaps,” Dana said. “Which is why I was waiting for the Central Angels to begin imploding. Pretty soon, bullets will run out, and they’ll need to buy more.”

  Everyone else in the room look at one another, but did not ask what Dana was planning.

  “With the trap for Mark said, all we have to worry about now is swaying the people,” Dana said with a strong nod.

  “Yes,” Vincent sneered. “That won’t be difficult at all.”

  “Well,” Dana started slowly, “it will not be difficult, but it will be messy.”

  Yet another nervous shiver ran through everyone.

  “Danielle,” Dana said, turning to look at her and she straightened at the sudden address. “I need you to talk to the doctors in the back. I need to bring Christopher out and give him the reversal drugs for that hallucinogenic.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked, confused. “He’s uncontrollable. At least when he’s on that drug, it’s easier to contain him because he’s too confused.”

  “Yes, I’m sure,” Dana said. “We need him lucid. And as for his…mean streak, we’re going to let him express himself a little bit.”

  The tension in the room was growing higher with each passing word.

  “Tommy,” Dana said, smiling to himself when he saw Thomas flinch from the nickname. “We’re going to have to play this very carefully. It’s going to take a lot of preparation, and we need to be sure that everyone is ready.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “I’m going to give you a list of people who must be informed about emergency procedures and be sure we have all necessary units standing by. Then it’s just a matter of being sure everyone is ready for a terrorist attack.”

  “You know when they’re going to attack?” Vincent said in shock.

  “Yes,” Dana said, smiling. “Because I’m going to plan it.”

  A dark silence fell over the room.

  “You’re going to frame them,” Sean murmured. Dana snapped his fingers and pointed at Sean, nodding once.

  * *** *

  Dana’s entire body was shaking in excitement as he approached the front door of the house. Sean was close behind him, as always, and even more nervous about what Dana was doing at the house of someone not in the Commission of the People. He did not like it when Dana exposed himself to non-Commission members, strictly as a rule of safety. However, Dana seemed to be far too excited to go through the proper channels in talking to the family inside the house.

  He rang the doorbell and waited, bouncing on his heels impatiently when the door finally opened. “Hello,” the man said, confused by the strange pair standing on his front porch. “Can I help you?”

  “Mr. Davis, I presume,” Dana said with a warm, charming smile.
“I apologize for coming to see you so late.”

  “I’m sorry, do we know each other?” Mr. Davis asked, shaking Dana’s hand.

  “Well…not exactly,” Dana chuckled lightly. “My name is Dana Christenson, I am the head of the Commission of the People.”

  Mr. Davis froze, his eyes going wide. Sean could almost see the gears of his mind working around information. Outside of the Commission, it was impossible for anyone to recognize Dana Christenson. Mr. Davis clearly did not know whether to laugh at Dana and assumed it was a joke, or believe him and be afraid that the head of the Commission of the People was standing at his front door.

  “I am…sorry, I…” Mr. Davis did not know what to say next.

  “There’s no need to worry, Mr. Davis,” Dana said, charm oozing from every pore in that natural, irritating way that Sean had come to expect. “Actually, I’m here to talk to you and the rest of your family. Are they also home?”

  “Uh, yes, yes, they are,” he answered.

  “Excellent,” Dana said, flashing a beaming smile. “May we come in?”

  “Oh, of course. I’m so sorry, where are my manners?” Mr. Davis said, flustered, stepping aside to allow the two men into the house. “And, I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

  Sean extended his hand to Mr. Davis. “Sean Jacobson,” he introduced. “Head of Commission Security.”

  Mr. Davis shook his hand as he raised his voice to call to the rest of his family.

  “Samantha! Becca! Come here!” he called, trying to keep his voice light so as not to alarm his family, even though he was very nervous.

  Shortly after his call, his wife and daughter entered the foyer, also confused about the strangers in their house.

  “Hello,” Samantha greeted slowly.

  Dana extended his hand to her, palm up, intending to kiss the back of her hand in his customary greeting for women. “Dana Christenson, head of the Commission of the People.”

  Sean’s eyes immediately went to Becca, who stiffened in terror, unable to hide her expression as it passed over her face.

  Mrs. Davis went through the exact same mental cycle of deciding whether or not to believe Dana Christenson was, in fact, in their house. However, she took his hand and he kissed the back of it, catching her off-guard and causing her to flush, as he always managed to do.

  Sean paid no attention to Mrs. Davis. He was looking at Becca. He knew that Becca was a close friend of Lily Sandover, and he was sure that Becca was the reason Dana was at that house. However, seeing the sheer terror in Becca’s paling face, he was beginning to wonder if Lily had ever broken any of the Commission’s rules about talking about the events occurring in the basement.

  Sean suddenly became very afraid for the safety of the other teenager.

  “This is my wife, Samantha,” Mr. Davis introduced. “And this is our daughter, Becca.”

  Danna turned to Becca, and everyone saw how horrified the teenage girl looked. Her face was pale, her hand shaking at her side as she stared at Dana Christenson. Dana smiled at her, reaching up to remove his glasses, something that caused Sean to tense, tempted to tell Dana to leave them on.

  However, once the glasses were removed, Dana looked straight into Becca‘s eyes. She still seemed afraid but, as with everyone else, Dana’s eyes held power over her, keeping her still as she stared into the golden orbs.

  “Becca,” Dana said, a sultry tone in his voice. He extended his hand and she placed her shaking hand in his, nearly jumping out of her skin when his lips touched the back of her hand.

  “Becca,” Mrs. Davis said, concerned, “you look ill. Are you alright?”

  “…yeah,” Becca said, her voice shaking

  “If I may be so bold,” Mr. Davis started, “why have you come to see us tonight?”

  “I’m glad you asked,” Dana started. “I would like to extend a personal invitation to you and your family to become members of the Commission of the People.”

  Both Mr. and Mrs. Davis seemed thrilled with the prospect, but Becca was mortified. Sean watched her carefully.

  “This is truly an honor, sir,” Mrs. Davis started. “We would love to accept. Why have you decided to invite us?”

  “Truth be told, it was not entirely my decision,” Dana said, his voice light, bringing the Davis family even closer to him as his hypnotic power took hold. It was actually Thomas Sandover that recommended you. He told me that you were indispensable to him on the north routes expansion project.”

  “Thomas said that?” Mrs. Davis said, her cheeks flushing as a small smile came to her lips. Sean looked between her expression and the expression of her husband, which had a look of understanding, lined with pain. It was only from years of working in the Commission and learning what to look for that Sean was able to see that Mrs. Davis was having an affair with Thomas Sandover.

  “Yes,” Dana said. “He said that you and your family would be a wonderful addition to the Commission of the People. Unfortunately, with what’s been going on with the Central Angel terrorist group, we have lost a few good members. I think it’s time to bring new blood into the Commission.”

  Dana’s eyes turned to Becca on the last sentence and Sean fought the urge to run over and catch Becca, since she look like she was on the verge of collapse.

  “We will happily accept your invitation,” Mrs. Davis said, smiling broadly. “I do apologize, my manners are absolutely horrid. Would you like to come in and have a drink? I’m afraid we just finished dinner, but if you are hungry—”

  “Oh, no thank you, Mrs. Davis. But I will take you up on a drink,” Dana said, winking at her.

  Everyone moved into the living room, Samantha asking Becca to get drinks for everybody.

  Sean always felt uncomfortable receiving food or drink from any of the houses he visited, but being around Dana and keeping up with his antics always proved challenging for the head of security. He was often missing meals and becoming dehydrated simply because he was trying to keep up with Dana. Also, considering the way the leader of the Commission of the People had been acting, Sean was sure that a stiff drink was the only thing that could help him.

  He drank the scotch quickly and Becca was eager to get him more as her parents and Dana talked.

  “As I’m sure you understand,” Mrs. Davis started, “Thomas does not talk about anything that goes on inside the Commission of the People, so I am curious what is expected of us.”

  “Well, the Commission of the People is charged with keeping America safe. We deal with Commission-marked criminals, border security, region distribution, and any crimes among the political community, as well. We also have heavy involvement in the military, which is a part of keeping America safe.”

  “And the entire family is invited into the commission,” Mr. Davis added. “I am afraid I’m not very politically-minded.”

  “We actually appreciate all input, both from seasoned politicians and civilians,” Dana said, turning his gaze onto Mr. Davis, putting him under the spell Sean knew all too well. “We bring in the entire family because we believe it adds more diversity to the opinions that are brought forward, and allows for a multiple-generation responsiveness to the problems that plague this country.”

  “We are of course happy to serve our country, and only have the best interest of the people at heart,” Samantha said.

  “Perfect answer,” Dana complimented. “We will begin the induction process immediately. There are, of course, paperwork channels that must be utilized and then we will bring you to one of our meetings. Due to everyone’s work schedules, as well as mine, all Commission meetings are held Saturday evenings at ten at night. These meetings can run very late, so it is important to be prepared accordingly. We’ll send you a letter regarding your induction. And, of course, with every new addition, the family receives a gift. I will choose it personally and present it to you on the first night you join a meeting.”

  “That is very generous, Mr. Christenson,” Mrs. Davis it quickly, her eyes wide, “howe
ver, the invitation alone is and honor enough.”

  “Nonsense,” Dana said, still smiling broadly. “It is customary that every new family receives a gift.”

  “What did you get the Sandover family?” Mr. Davis asked curiously.

  Sean saw the exchanged glances that occurred immediately following the question. Dana turned his attention directly to Becca. Becca straightened, her eyes going wide, fear crossing her features in an instant, causing Dana to smile knowingly.

  Sean saw that Dana already knew that Becca had learned about Mykail, which meant she likely knew far more than she should. Becca had every reason to be terrified of the Commission leader’s presence.

  “I am afraid that their gift did not work out,” Dana said slowly. “I try to match the gift with the family based on what I know of them and what others have told me about the recipients. I thought my gift was appropriate, but it turns out that it caused some tension in the household. I am currently deciding on a replacement. Which, if need be, you may also receive a replacement gift if you do not like yours.”

  “I am—I am actually…” Becca started, her voice shaking so much it was almost impossible to hear her. “I am feeling a little ill…If it’s all right with you, sir, I’m going to go to my room.”

  “Yes,” Dana said, smiling. “You should go rest.”

  Becca nearly ran out of the room.

  “Poor girl,” Dana said, faking concern. “Sean,” he said, turning to his head of security, “please go make sure that she’s all right. I would hate to be sitting here distracting her parents and have her be running a high fever, or passed out in the hallway.”

  Sean was thrilled to get away, surprised that Dana had given him a moment to speak with Becca alone. He nodded once and stood, excusing himself from the conversation. Mr. and Mrs. Davis seemed a little surprised that Dana would so easily ask his head of security to check on their daughter, but being so overwhelmed with the sudden invitation into the Commission of the People, they did not question it.

  Sean walked in the same direction that Becca had gone and heard heavy gasping coming from one of the rooms. The door was mostly-closed, but had been left ajar, which allowed Sean to carefully peer inside. He saw Becca sitting on her bed, her hand clenched over her mouth as she tried to stifle her panicked gasping.