by PJ Sharon
Chapter 9
The next day dawned with a sense of excitement buzzing through the house. Will had proved invaluable in helping with chores. Not only with mine, but he helped Zeph with skinning the rabbits, a chore I absolutely despised. After that, he offered to clean the stalls and brush down the horses. He seemed set on paying off his debt and keeping busy, a work ethic that Sam approved of wholeheartedly. It also gave Sam and me a chance to prepare for my trip to the city.
“Go straight to Joe Aaron’s warehouse when you get there. You drop off the goods, get your vouchers, and head over to the marketplace. Have you got the list we made?” His brow furrowed in concentration as he crated the last jars of honey and stuffed straw in around the edges.
“I’m all set. Stop worrying. This trip won’t be any different than any others we’ve made.”
“Except that Zeph and I won’t be with you.”
“It’s not like I’m going to be alone. Rudy Sinclair will be there, and I think Garnet might even ride along with her dad this trip. I’ll be fine. Besides, now that Will is coming with me and I’ll have the wolves at my side, no one would dare try anything stupid.” He knew I was talking about Josh Johnson and mumbled a few unflattering curses under his breath.
“Still, I want you to take this with you.” He handed me a chain with what looked like a small locket attached. “You might need it if you run into trouble.”
I set two jars of blackberry preserves on top of a crate and took the gold necklace. I turned it over in my hand, noticing the intricate designs etched in the front and the initials EM on the back. “It’s beautiful, Sam.”
“Your Aunt Elizabeth would want you to have it.” He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck, releasing a sigh.
“I love it. Thank you. But how will this help me if I get into trouble?”
His lips curved up. “Open it.”
I carefully pried the locket open and then laughed. Inside was a micro-comp unit. “How the heck did you manage this?”
“I’ve been working on it for a while.” He leaned over and pointed to a tiny button. “Press here to activate a tracking device and I’ll be able to locate you wherever you are.” He took the locket back and held it in his palm. “There are a couple of other handy features. If you pull this pin here,” he indicated a minute screw along the hinge, “it will emit an EMP that will disable any electronic devices within a few hundred yards. And this,” he indicated a tiny protrusion along one edge, “will create an ultrasonic wave that will drop an attacker to his knees. There’s a three second delay. Just make sure you cover your ears.” He handed the locket to me, and I looped the chain around my neck.
“Thanks, Sam. I feel better with something of Auntie Beth’s with me.” I tucked the locket into my shirt. “Have you got any other tricks up your sleeve?” I resumed packing the crates with jars of fruit, vegetables, and jellies.
“I might. I should have one more project completed before you leave on Monday.” His mysterious tone made me curious, but I knew he wouldn’t reveal his secrets to me until he was good and ready.
I looked around the kitchen and through the doorway to make sure no one was within hearing distance. “Did you check with your sources about whether Will’s father is in Albany?”
Sam gave the door a quick glance before answering with his voice lowered. “No one in the Network has seen or heard from the man in a year. He went underground not long after his sister did. If he’s in Albany, he’s keeping a very low profile.” A grim look came across his face. “I don’t hold out much hope that Will is going to find his dad, but it’s not up to us to stop him from trying.”
If anyone had ears to the ground, it was Sam and his followers. Over time, the Network had grown from a few discontented patriots to several thousand holdouts that refused to submit to the government’s requirements that everyone who lived under their protection had to be encoded. People who chose to live in the cities had to agree to the insertion of a microchip into the back of their hand that allowed the government to track their every movement. The encoding allowed people access to any goods and services they needed, but it also gave the government a person’s entire life history. Not to mention complete control when it came to choosing what job a person would do, where they lived, and even how many children they could have. The cost of living under government protection was the loss of freedom and dignity.
I placed the lid on the crate and secured an itemized list of the contents on top. I labeled it FRAGILE/GLASS/ JARRED FOODS, and added the date in black ink so that the workers in the warehouse would know how to classify and distribute the products. The system was crude, but it had been working well for those of us living outside the cities.
A monetary value was assigned to our goods and we were given vouchers so that we could go to the market and buy whatever we needed that we couldn’t grow or make on our own. So far, the government hadn’t interfered. The only caveat was the taxes the government collected and the procurement of a share of all products passing through the trade market. In exchange, they provided Guardians to keep the peace and had recruiters swarming the city trying to reel in Outsiders who might want to give up on living off-grid.
“Maybe I can introduce Will to some of your contacts in Albany,” I said, pushing the vision of the creepy robotic Guardians out of my mind. “Even if your people don’t know exactly where his father is, they might give him some idea where to search for him.”
Sam lifted the crate and grunted as he set it on top of the three others already sealed and ready to go. “I like Will, too. But I think we need to be careful of how much we trust him. We don’t know him, and allowing him to get too close to us or the Network could open us all up to trouble. He is the President’s nephew. We have to break ties with him as soon as possible.”
A pounding started in my ears and a sick sensation sent my breakfast churning. “Will needs our help, Sam. I can’t see any harm in getting to know him and letting him earn our trust.”
“I know what you’re thinking, and I’m telling you, there is too much at stake. I don’t want Will knowing anything about you and your brother that could give him an opportunity to use it against us.” Sam sank into the chair, slightly out of breath, his face pale.
I poured him a glass of cold dandelion tea and sat down across from him. “Are you okay?” I’d noticed that the slightest exertion was beginning to wear on him.
He sipped the tea. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” Then his face grew serious. “I meant what I said, Lily. Keep your distance from Will. Don’t get attached. Once you get to Albany and make your delivery, you will say goodbye and let him go on his way. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Sir.” I couldn’t help the disappointment in my voice, but it would do neither of us any good to argue. I would just have to reconcile myself to the fact that my friendship with Will was another liability we couldn’t afford. But my heart ached at the thought of never seeing him again. I pushed the dark emotions down and consoled myself with the thought of having him at my side night and day over the course of our trip. The very idea sent an unexplainable jolt of happiness through me that felt new and exciting.
I’d been dreading the trip for weeks. Now, I couldn’t wait. As much as I knew Sam was right and that I needed to keep my distance from Will, everything inside of me wanted to do exactly the opposite.