“You are going to give up what you believe in, who you are, for a woman who does not love you?”
Colin stood up from the table but leaned in to his mother. “I have to go now. It was good to see you.” He kissed her forehead.
“You can’t do this, Colin. It is not who you are. It doesn’t matter how much you love her. You can’t give up on who you are for someone who doesn’t love you,” she pleaded.
“I guess we will have to see about that.” He paused. “I can have a good life with her, and I choose that life. I am sorry if that spoils your plans, but my decision is made. Farewell, Mother.”
Ursa grabbed his hand, urging him to stay.
“You have made your choices,” Colin said, “and I wish you luck and safety. I have made my choice also, and I am sorry that it does not align with your plans. I can’t see you again. It’s too risky. I now have too much I could lose.”
“You could lose it at any second anyway. That is why we do this, Colin. I hope I am wrong, but you can lose her no matter what you do.”
“No, Mother. I won’t. Goodbye.” He left the common room, and didn’t look back, couldn’t look back. He had to cut the ties to every single one of them, all members of the rebellion, even his own mother, simply because they would never just let him be. He knew he couldn’t have them, and Freya, and so he kept walking.
***
“Colin,” the man called from across the common room, waving his hand.
His father was not a hugger like his mother was. A handshake, a touch on the shoulder: it was about as affectionate as he had ever been with Colin.
“Hi, Dad.” Colin took a seat at the table.
“Thank you for meeting me,” he said.
Colin nodded his head, but said nothing in response. He was certain his father had come to guilt him, to make him speak to his mother again, but it wouldn’t work. “So what brings you to these parts?” Colin asked.
“They needed some extra maintenance workers—trouble in the water filtration system in a few buildings here,” he replied. “Nothing to worry about. You know I got pulled into other areas a lot when you were a kid.”
“Yeah, I know. Just routine stuff, right?” Colin replied.
“Exactly. Just needed a few more workers than normal. So is this your usual common room?”
“It is the closest one to my apartment, yes. I don’t come here often, though.” Colin shrugged.
“Makes sense. You’re still in that honeymoon stage with your partner, right?”
“Yes, and that will not change,” Colin responded sharply.
“I didn’t come to talk about that,” he replied. “You are a man now, and you can choose your own path for yourself. I respect that.”
“Then why did you come? Are you here to guilt me?” Colin asked with great tension in his voice. “I had to do what was necessary with Mother. I can’t give her what she asked for.”
“No, I didn’t come about that. Again, you are a man now. I wanted to see you in person. Who knows if we will ever have an opportunity like this again.”
“Why? What are you planning?” Colin said in a whisper, leaning closer to his father.
“I think it is best that you don’t know.” He gave a long pause. “I do need a favor of you, though. We need a favor of you. I need you to alter the cameras to the access point on your watch.”
His parents had never once told him they were one of the people who believed in living on the surface, and he never believed Ida, but now he knew. She had been right, she knew, and he had been blind. There was only one reason they would want access to the surface, and it suddenly became so clear to him as to why his parents asked so many questions about what cameras he watched. He suddenly became overcome with grief, with feeling betrayed. It felt as though his parents cared more for the rebellion than they did for him.
“That’s why you won’t tell me what you’re planning. So when I get caught, I can’t spoil your plans,” Colin whispered.
“You won’t get caught, Colin. Interferences, lost signals, static—it happens all the time. We just need you to happen to not see something.”
“If an access magically is left open, you don’t think they will notice?”
“It’s not going to be left open,” his father remarked. “I have twenty people who need to get to the surface. All I am asking is that no one notices when they leave.”
“You’re crazy,” Colin said under his breath. “This whole thing is crazy. You think if twenty people disappear, the State won’t look at every single video feed?”
“We will create a diversion elsewhere. We just need a little static, is all. You won’t be held accountable if you happened to miss something on your screen in a moment of chaos.”
“How are these people even going to survive up there?” Colin said, barely audible.
“Not your concern. You just need to know there will be a diversion, and the access is on your camera. We will handle the rest.”
“This had better be quite some diversion,” Colin replied bitterly.
“Don’t you worry about that. You have your role, and we have ours.”
“If I do this, that is it—we are done.”
“Colin, I love you, your mother loves you, but we are on opposing sides of a war. I know you are done, and I respect that. We just need this little favor of you. I promise you, you won’t be blamed.”
“I won’t be blamed if my own parents run to the surface on my watch?”
“We aren’t going, exactly for that reason.” His father reached out and took his hand. Another handshake, a touch on the shoulder. “Watch for the diversion, and then start the static on your camera. You will know when it is time.”
***
Colin watched the access hatch every single day. He needed to watch it, without making it obvious he was doing so. The stress was tearing him apart; if he and Freya weren’t fighting, he wouldn’t even begin to know how to hide it from her. Luckily, the diversion came sooner than later, as the waiting had set him on edge.
First, he saw two people in the access area dressed in free time clothing. There was no possible reason for anyone to be there dressed as they were, and so he knew. A moment later, a brawl erupted in a common room. It was so uncommon for fights, most people in the surrounding area simply stared, not knowing how to react.
Colin deftly tuned into the frequency of the access camera and scrambled the signal so only static was visible on the screen. It only took him mere seconds, giving him time to jump from his seat and run down to the common room.
It was best to flee from his station quickly. It would solidify his story of not understanding what had happened to one of the cameras he was responsible for. He outran the other Security officers on the move. If he arrived on the scene first, it would be more likely he would appear innocent if an investigation was to happen after the event.
Without hesitation, he jumped right into the middle of the fight; without any warning, he grabbed a man about to throw another punch and wrestled him to the floor, binding his hands behind his back. Colin jumped up, ready to take on more, but the other officers had successfully apprehended everyone involved. The men were escorted to a holding area, and the Security officers returned to their stations.
“Been awhile since there was any action,” James said, sitting at Colin’s station.
Colin flinched, but recovered quickly. “Yeah, good thing too. I was worried they were going to stop letting us exercise during civil duty hours. With how peaceful it has been, it wouldn’t matter if we all went soft.”
He did his best at impersonating his usual arrogant smirk. He didn’t dare to even look at his work station. If he looked, he knew his eyes would only find one thing; he couldn’t fight the instinct to look for his scrambled camera. So he continued to look right at James. “I see you held down the fort while the youngins did all the strenuous labor; that’s typical.”
“You will hope for a desk job also when you get to be my age,” James
replied. “Good thing I was here, too. One of your cameras went out.”
“What? How did that happen? Did you get it back on track?” Colin asked, still not looking at the terminal.
“Perhaps you jumped up so quickly you bumped it, threw a camera off its signal,” James replied.
“Wow, I was excited, but didn’t know I was that excited,” Colin joked. “Did you fix it?”
“Yes, all taken care of.” James didn’t accuse Colin, or even imply that there was something to accuse him of, yet he didn’t rise from Colin’s seat.
“Good. Thanks for taking care of that for me. I’ll try to not get so excited next time I get a chance to get some extra exercise.”
James slowly rose from the seat, moving aside for Colin. “Glad you enjoyed the action. You were really fast in getting there.”
“I try. I run a lot during my regular physical activity. Maybe those other guys should too.”
“Yes, maybe they should.” He paused. “Freya is quite the little runner too, isn’t she?”
Colin couldn’t see his own reflection, but he could feel the color drain from his face. “Oh, yeah, she is. I have never got a chance to go run with her, but if I ever do, I have to make sure I can beat her.”
James laughed and nodded his head slowly. “From what I have seen of that girl, perhaps it would be in your best interest to let her win.”
Colin forced a laugh and let out a sigh. “You make a good point.”
Chapter 22
Colin
Colin walked to the elevator. He palmed the scanner and stepped inside. There was only one thought that ran through his mind: At least they weren’t taking Freya. It danced around; the thought was the only thing he was truly conscious of. He knew there was no award; this was all a hoax. They wanted him to come in quietly, without a scene. How would it look if people witnessed one of the State’s own Security officers being brought in for treason?
When James had brought up Freya at the console, after he had scrambled the camera, he thought if he was caught, they would take her too. It was a fear that haunted him, following him around taunting him every single moment. He had not only risked his own life; he had put her in jeopardy also. Hopefully working at the State house had given her immunity, that they would try him separately. She hadn’t known anything up until recently; she was innocent. If he were to die for what his father asked him to do, then let it be, but he would not let her get dragged into this.
Anger started to build in him. My father—what a joke! What good could possibly have come from people going to the surface? Those nut jobs, thinking there was nothing wrong with the atmosphere. I could possibly lose everything because of them, and they will all be dead by now. He should have refused his father request; he should have reported the activity he saw; he should have done everything required of him in order to be able to live out the rest of his life with Freya at his side.
To hell with the rebellion. What good could they possibly do anyway? The State could not be overthrown; it just wasn’t possible. All that ever came from these little episodes was more destruction, followed by the State exerting more power. The more people rebelled, the stronger the State became.
It was at that moment he made the decision: give them anything and everything he was capable of. He would turn in his own parents if that is what it took. It didn’t matter; nothing mattered except for Freya. He would tell them anything they wanted, if they would just let him return to his old life with her.
She loved him; he knew that she did, even if she didn’t know it. She came to him; she tried to stop him from leaving. Freya might seem like a poster child, but that wasn’t all she was. She had a defiant streak in her also; he had seen it many times, and loved her that much more for it. Learning of his association with the rebellion had just surprised her was all. If they had had more time, she would have forgiven him. It was just startling information to learn, so much for someone like her to have to accept.
He could have also been taken back if she had told him information she had kept from him. They were going to be fine, if only they were given the time they needed to heal. She did come after him; she didn’t just let him leave, which meant if he lived through this, there was still hope.
Colin arrived at the security post, as instructed in his message. He had been in such a mental haze, it felt to him as though he had just stepped into the elevator, leaving Freya behind. James was the first face he saw, which was also the last face he had wanted to see. James had known, and he sat and toyed with him, like a cat and mouse. James had known the second it happened, but had waited to report him. Why? Why would James wait? The next question that came to his mind was did he? Did he wait, or did it just take the State some time to figure out what to do with me?
“Welcome, Colin. It is my pleasure to present you with your award,” James said.
“Oh really?” Colin replied. “I don’t remember doing anything to deserve this honor.”
“Nonsense, Colin. Your outstanding performance in your civil duty has got you here,” James replied in the same light tone.
“What exactly is here?”
“You have been assigned a special project,” James answered. “You are starting your training immediately.”
“When do I get to go home again?”
“Your training will take a bit of time,” replied James.
“Thanks, but I don’t want any special project. I like my civil duty just as it is. I would rather not have any promotion so that I may return home every night to Freya,” Colin said in the most confident voice he could muster.
“I think you might feel differently when you learn what this project is,” James persisted.
“I think you are wrong. There is no project or honor that I would accept if that means being taken from Freya.” Colin tried to uphold his false confidence.
James looked at him for a moment. “The decision has already been made. I can’t undo this.” James looked him right in the eye.
“So I am a prisoner then,” Colin replied.
“If you choose to view it that way, then yes.” James nodded to the military officer standing by, who stepped forward and handcuffed Colin’s hands in front of him.
“How was I not to view this situation as not being a prisoner?” Colin waved around his newly cuffed hands.
“We could have done this the easy way,” replied James, “but you chose to make it difficult. I don’t want you to try to run, after all.”
“Run where? Where would I go?”
“You’re a smart and resourceful young man. I am sure you would find something to interfere with our plans if you put your mind to it.” James nodded to the military officer again, who came behind Colin and cuffed his ankles.
Colin rolled his eyes at James, but knew anything he said would only make the matter worse. He attached a chain between the ankle and wrist cuffs, and James left the room without another word. The man grabbed his arm and guided him into another room.
“I would ask you your name, but I hear people like you don’t have them.” The guy was massive, like most of the military personnel he had ever seen.
“We do have names. We just don’t keep them for very long,” he replied.
“Well, if we are going to be spending lots of time together, you know, getting super close and all…”
“Right now, it’s Lewis.”
“Lewis, eh? How long will you be Lewis for? I plan on staying Colin, you know, for as long as I can.”
“I have a feeling this name will stick for a while.”
***
“So just want to make sure I am clear. I have been promoted to a new post—it’s a cell?” Colin’s hands gripped the bars in the door, and he stuck his nose between the bars, trying to peer out further into the humid, dimly lit room.
Lewis slid Colin’s meal through the delivery slot, and hesitated for a moment. “This cell is your own doing,” Lewis replied simply and then left the holding area.
Colin wish
ed the room was brighter; he wished he could see more clearly. He could not tell whether there were other holding cells beside him, or whether this was the only one. No sounds had come from around him, simply silence except for Lewis’s footsteps. It had been so dark when he was brought there, he didn’t have the opportunity to get an idea of where he was being held captive. He had counted his steps, tried to orient himself as to which direction he was going at every turn, but they had walked for hours, and he simply lost track.
The only thing he was sure of was he wasn’t anywhere he had ever been before. This place, this cell, had to be farther underground than the walkways. This was the abyss, the secret network that was reserved for military use only. It was a black hole which not even Security could identify. He had no idea where it surfaced; all he knew was that it was so vast that this cell was completely unnecessary. Even if he could find an access, he would pop up somewhere unexpected, but most definitely somewhere in the city, under the dome, under the watchful eye of the State.
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