by P. L. Camery
Then she shook herself and fixed her gaze back on Mavis, “So you see, there’s nothing you can do that would hurt me more than what I’ve been through.”
“We have more of the serum,” Cal blurted out. Mavis snapped her head to him, wincing at the inhuman coldness in his eyes, “we can use it on you, make you relive those fears again, it’s not like you resisted much the first time.”
“No,” Mavis shook her head, “I do agree that would be the easiest way to get information, but we aren’t the people who’ve oppressed us.” The boy’s glare snapped to her and Cal opened his mouth to protest. Mavis cut him off, “We want to make a better world not a rearranged one.” A deep growl reverberated in his body as Cal considered this. Then he crossed his arms, jaw clenched as he stared daggers into the wall.
Mavis blew out a breath as she returned her attention to Destiny. “You’re not making it easy though to maintain humane ideals. You have to give us something to work with if you want to avoid more aggressive negotiations.”
“Like I said,” the prisoner spat, “there’s nothing you could do to scare me.”
The silence stretched for several seconds as Mavis considered her. “Your brother’s life really meant nothing to you?” she asked, risking a hint of vulnerability with the hurt in her tone. “Helping to avenge his death wouldn’t give you purpose or some small sense of redemption?”
For an instant she saw a flash of pain from Destiny’s eyes, but then it was gone. “I can’t help you Mavis.”
Nodding, Mavis turned back to Cal, “Take her tablet, we’re leaving.”
“What already?” the prisoner’s eyes widened with genuine surprise, “Take away my toy like I’m a child and walk out of here, that’s all you’ve got? That’s your master plan?”
Mavis shrugged, “I have things to do. You’ve made it quite clear you aren’t going to help so why waste my time? Better to just leave you here, isolated, nothing to do, no one to talk to. If I have a spare moment in a month, maybe three or four- who knows when I’ll get around to it- I’ll come back and ask you again.”
“Months?” Destiny’s hand made an involuntary motion towards her tablet, which rested on the floor next to her. “But you can’t wait that long, this is Lawrence we are talking about…” She was cut off by the buzz of a gunshot. The bright blue bolt sliced through the air, searing the tablet into a mess of burnt wires and plastic.
“Say his name again and your head is next, “Cal growled, shifting his aim to emphasize his point, “do you understand?” After a beat the shock receded from her expression and Destiny swallowed, barely managing a nod.
Mavis allowed the tension to hang for several minutes before breaking the silence, “As you can see, we are dead serious.” She turned, not bothering to look back as she made her way to the door. “So unless you have something to share, I think we have wasted more than enough time here.”
“Mavis, wait,” Destiny said, averting her gaze to her hands. Mavis didn’t turn but she stopped walking, back rigid as she waited. “I can’t help you,” the girl stammered, “I really can’t. I mean I can tell you what I know,” Mavis turned, noting with some satisfaction the girl’s hunched shoulders and eyes wavering with guilt, she just might talk, “but it won’t help, and at any rate you won’t believe me anyways.”
When Mavis spoke, her tone was softer, almost gentle, “Give me a chance to listen Destiny, tell me the truth, and I promise I’ll give you a chance too. We can’t let you free, but I can come visit,” Mavis paused, gaging the other girl’s reaction, then took a step forward, “you were my best friend once, you’re also Lawrence’s sister, and as mad as I am with you we both loved you. I’ll do what I can for you, but I need you to tell me everything you know so I can do what I can for him too.”
At first Destiny said nothing, still appraising her hands as if they held all the answers. Then her body visibly relaxed as she let out a breath, “Two army representatives approached me several months ago, before our- the raid on the Facility. That’s part of why I was so against the raid, aside from the fact that it was dangerously stupid. I also knew it’d be useless.”
“Well I’d say we were pretty damn successful,” Cal grumbled. Mavis shot him an exasperated look and he then his hands up, “What? I’m just saying…”
“Why do you think that Destiny?” Mavis asked, making a point of ignoring Cal’s comment.
“Because,” Destiny paused, taking a breath, “because in the end nothing we do is useful. What they told me, what really convinced me to,” she glanced between Cal and Mavis, hesitant to continue, “to inform on some of the rebel agents, was that the Guardian already controls the Rebel Council.”
Cal began to speak but Mavis held up a finger, anticipating an outraged outburst. As calmly as she could she asked, “That’s quite a tall claim, did they elaborate? Offer any evidence.”
“Not much,” Destiny confessed, blushing slightly, “they just told me the whole rebel force is a government sanctioned organization, at least half the council members are under the guardian’s payroll, though I don’t know who specifically. It was designed to be a controlled outlet for those not so easily repressed and an entity for normal citizens to fear and hate. It helps unify the nation.”
“And you just took this explanation at face value?” Cal barked, “You didn’t ask for any explanations, any evidence? That’s total bullshit.”
Destiny jumped to her feet, bristling with rage, “You asked for the truth and I gave it to you! It’s not my fault you’re too dumb to get it. Why else has nothing significant ever happened? Why else when anyone is on the verge of anything important, they end up dead?”
“Oh bullshit, bull fucking shit, are you listening to this Mavis?” Cal turned to his friend, “Are you hearing this?” Destiny’s features burned red with anger and she clenched her hands into fists. But when she made a motion to step forward Cal drew his gun, pointing it at her head, “What do you think Mavis? End her miserable life now before she tries again to lie straight to our faces?”
Both Destiny and Cal looked to Mavis, waiting for her verdict. Finally, she pressed one finger on Cal’s gun to lower it, “I believe she believes in what she’s saying.” Cal opened his mouth to object, but she continued, “I agree with you Cal, this is quite an accusation that rings of bullshit. But I think, given the circumstances, it might be worth investigating.”
Cal could only stare, stunned speechless. Returning her attention to Destiny, Mavis asked, “I just wonder, how much of you believing this explanation is because it actually rings true to you or because you wanted too much to believe them. Perhaps your judgment was swayed by what they were offering you?”
Destiny opened and closed her mouth several times as Cal crossed his arms, his smug hateful glare appraising her. The girl averted her gaze to the floor, “I never wanted this life, I don’t have your ideals Mavis, I’m only here because my parents were here, and my brother was here, I had no choice. I just wanted to be normal damn it, who cares if other people make the important decisions, as long as I’m alive and have a decent existence and can talk to anyone I want without being afraid they’ll find me out, I can be happy. But I couldn’t be happy as a rebel, don’t you get it? So, what if I did what I could to try and escape it, how am I any different from you who want to escape your lives now? They promised that after a few years of service they could give me a new identity, make me normal. I saw a chance to finally be happy, even if it was only a slight one.”
Mavis nodded, no judgment in her cool gaze, only appraisal, “So then you said that they hired you to be an informant, but why? I mean if all our work is a scam and under the government’s control, what do they need you for.”
Destiny swallowed hard, hanging her head, “They- they specifically wanted information on my brother and his closest friends… it’s no secret that he has- tended to act against the council. They didn’t want-”
“What they didn’t want someone out th
ere actually making a difference?” Cal barked, “So you’re actually telling us that you plotted specifically against your own brother!”
“No! No!” Destiny exclaimed in a panic, “no they weren’t supposed to ever hurt him. They said they had plans for him and if I helped keep him out of too much trouble…”
Cal scoffed, “Yeah plans to kill him.”
“What kind of plans?” Mavis asked after a beat, tilting her head to one side.
“They wanted him to become a leader in the rebel council,” Destiny explained, “they liked him you see, high scores, great leadership potential, that’s why he was in that upper cast program of his in the first place. Plus, he was already on the council at such a young age, the perfect candidate. They thought that when they really explained why the system was the way it was, he’d accept it.”
Mavis ran one hand through her hair, considering the possibility. It does make a sort of scene, she conceded, but still… “But they had to know he wouldn’t go along with that.”
Destiny shrugged, “I just know what I was told Mavis, like I said, it’s not much help now.”
Mavis blew out a breath, “Damn straight it isn’t, it would have been better to know before.” As she spoke her voice rose, “We could have avoided that stupid rally,” she was pacing now, though she tried to reel in her anger it seemed to boil forth in a sudden onslaught, “maybe he wouldn’t have done it. He’d probably still be alive! You could have saved him Destiny.”
“I-I didn’t know…”
“Oh bullshit!” Mavis was screaming now, tears pushing forward in her eyes, “You could have saved him, and you didn’t! Because you were too damn scared.” Mavis closed the space between them and shoved Destiny backwards, “You say you’ve faced your worst fears, but you were still too afraid to say anything, too afraid to save him!” The tears were running freely now. “You were too afraid! It’s all your fault! You could have, you’re the only one who might have, but you didn’t say anything,” she began punching Destiny. There was no force in the blows however and other girl took them without complaint. “You could have saved him, you could have, he should have known, it was too dangerous, but if he’d known…”
Mavis sank to her knees as the tears continued to fall. Immediately Cal was at her side and pulling her back to her feet. “Come on Mavis,” he said gently, “come on, let’s get you out of here.”
As Mavis was walked towards the door Destiny spoke. Her voice was hardly above a whisper, but Mavis heard her, “Honestly, he would have gone anyways.” In a flash Mavis spun around and charged her, right fist raised in a hook punch. Seconds later Destiny crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
*****
Despite Cal’s protests and her own burning resentment towards the girl, Mavis insisted that that they still investigate Destiny’s claims. But now two weeks later, any evidence they had gathered was purely circumstantial. Simple missions where experienced agents went missing, the lack of any new tactics or improvements for the rebel force for years, Lawrence’s appointment as a speaker for the Quincentennial rally- things that could be considered evidence but only to someone looking for a particular answer. Now, in Lawrence’s old lab, Mavis leaned back in her armchair and sighed. Turning off his computer screen, she leaned forward and put her face in her hands. This wasn’t working, there was nothing solid, yet the more Mavis thought about it, the more she was convinced. Why else would Lawrence, Lawrence of all people, be the one to speak at the rally, it seemed too random, too convenient just to be coincidence.
The sound of a soda being deposited in front of her made Mavis jump. “How are you doing?” Cal asked, his voice was weary, and a tired look haunted his eyes.
She knew this work was hard on him, he’d lost his best friend, and now though he still had the Guardian and her reign to blame, the organization, and by association the ideals which he and Lawrence stood for, was now coming into question, and that did not sit well. But she couldn’t just let it go, not even to reassure her friend. One way or another she needed the truth. “As good as expected,” she responded, taking a sip of the offered drink, “How are you holding up?”
He offered her a small smile, “Better than yesterday but worse than before.” After Mavis nodded her understanding he pulled up a chair, “Anything new come up?”
The girl shook her head, leaning back in her seat as she fiddled with the bracelet Lawrence had given her. Sometimes it seemed like it would pulse on her wrist, a weak pulse but still there. It made her heart ache, knowing she was imagining it but wishing with her entire being it were real. “I miss him Cal, I know I say that every day but still…”
“Me too,” Mavis looked up to see his eyes brimming with tears as he spoke, “I miss him too, every day.”
“I know,” she said softly, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder, “I know.” There was a long since between them; both were content to take a moment to remember their friend. Mavis closed her eyes, picturing moments with Lawrence, his smile, their first kiss, his wit, his ideas, just talking to him, willing him to open up to her, when he held her, how only he could make her feel safe. She held onto those moments, trying to will them into existence, as if through shear want, she could wish him back to life. Her mind flashed on a conversation in the game room, on her boy opening up about his parents, how they died…
“Cal?” Mavis asked, “What were his parents like? What exactly did his parents do in the rebellion?”
The boy blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the sudden question, “Well, um, I don’t remember much of them to be honest. I mean Lawrence and I were close already, but we were much younger then,” he offered an apologetic smile, “sadly I didn’t pay too much attention to my best friend’s parents.”
“Can you give me a general description?” Mavis pressed.
Cal blew out a breath, looking up at the ceiling, “Their names were Regina and Ken. They were kind, always full of energy, always out and about with Lawrence at their heels, he adored them, idolized them. They were also patient to a fault, thoughtful. I know they were hackers and inventors, taught Lawrence everything he knew about electronics,” Cal smiled, “they even helped him build this lab, oh he’s added to it and upgraded everything over the years, but they helped lay the groundwork.”
“Really?” Mavis straightened in her seat, “So I assume then they had access to the lab too? Also did research and prepped for missions here?”
“I assume so,” Cal agreed, “I remember them telling Lawrence that this was to be a safe place, if there was anything important to do, do it here so no one else could come and sabotage things.”
“Excellent! Perfect!” Mavis almost bounced in her chair with the sudden burst of energy as she turned on the computer. Within seconds she was pulling up a directory of all saved files.
“Why?” Cal tilted his head and scooted his chair closer, “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that there might be something saved here,” Mavis explained quickly as she arranged the files in order of oldest to newest, “that can help us out, a document maybe that can shed light on their last mission.”
As she scanned the document titles Cal stared at the screen with her, understanding filling him with hope. “You think they might have been set up. That maybe they fall into the category of suspicious circumstances,” he drew out the last two words with a thick layer of sarcasm.
“Exactly.” Her eyes stopped on the title of a video file; she blinked, not believing what it said.
“Why we died,” Cal read aloud, equally stunned. They shared a look, both wearing dazed dumbstruck expressions. Hands shaking, Cal reached across his friend and tapped the file on the screen.
Mavis felt her heart rate double as Regina and Carlos Richardson came into view. It was the female, his mother, who spoke first, “Hello Lawrence, Destiny, if you’re watching this, we are no longer with you, and we are so, so sorry. We didn’t want to leave you, we did our best to survive f
or you, we love you so, so much, and I can’t tell you how much it pains me that our- our choices might hurt you.” As she spoke her voice had thickened with emotion and Carlos put his arm around his wife, steady green eyes never wavering from the camera, so much like Lawrence.
Regina took a moment before continuing, “Destiny baby, you have such a sweet heart, don’t ever let anything or anyone change that. I know you’re afraid, I know you’ve never quite been happy with us, that you think we prefer your brother, but sweetheart nothing can be farther from the truth. My darling, my firstborn, we love you just as much as we love your brother. We’ve tried to give you boundaries and space and never expected more from you than you were willing to give. I imagine we’ve made mistakes, but we hope you can see past those and see that we are so very proud of you. You are loving and caring to your brother, he can be such an introvert and you help push him out of his shell. You can be perceptive and take care of those around you. People will expect more from you as a rebel, but being a friend and confidant is just as important as being a field agent. You are enough, never let anyone tell you differently.”
Mavis paused the video, “I- she- Destiny.”
“Don’t start feeling bad for her,” Cal said sternly, “Destiny has changed, and we can’t question ourselves over her mistakes. Maybe she can change back, I don’t know, but right now we need to keep watching.”