“Why was there medicine at the bakery?” I ask. “Was it from you, Perry? Did you put it there?”
He avoids looking at me. I’m about to resume my questioning, but then we hear two people talking. It sounds like Willenger and Ashley. They’re coming this way. Perry looks down on me, it’s obvious he’s scared. “You can’t say anything about the bakery, okay, or what you saw.”
“I won’t say anything, Perry, I promise, but you’ve got to get me out of here.”
He purses his lips and touches something on my hologram chart; I go numb. I’m paralyzed. “I’m sorry, Evan, but I can’t help you. I can’t have anyone know about the medicine. If they found out, well, I don’t have to remind you what would happen to me.”
I try to speak, but nothing comes out. My eyes droop and I start to drool. I can comprehend everything that’s going on but I can’t move. What did he do to me? He turns on a hologram TV screen and raises the bed up slightly so I can look at it. He must really want me to look like a normal patient.
Willenger and Ashley enter the room; Perry goes back to his usual lethargic self.
“Holy shit!” Ashley shrieks as she looks at me. “Is he dead?”
“Ashley, please!” Willenger scolds, raising his voice. “He’s not dead!”
“He’s not? Are you sure? Look at his face, it’s all messed up.”
“Ashley!” the Senator shouts. “Would you please stop talking?”
Ashley glares back at Willenger. It’s clear she didn’t appreciate being yelled at.
“I’m sorry, Ashley,” he says calmly. “I’m just under a lot of stress right now. Could you please wait outside? I need to talk to Perry, alone.”
“Sure thing, Vinnie, but fix his face, would you? It looks like crap.” She leaves the room and now I wish I had a mirror.
“Is he talking yet?” Willenger demands as he turns back to Perry.
“No. Not yet, sir. His concussion was pretty bad.”
“How long is he going to be like this?”
“No telling.”
“Goddamn it, I need some answers! I need to know why Evan blew up the bakery!”
“Have you tried talking to Valerie?” Perry asks, his voice quivers. “Perhaps she knows something.”
“Of course I’ve talked to Val. But she’s refusing to talk to me, I can’t get anything out of her.”
“That does sound like Val,” Perry chuckles to cover his nervousness. “Good thing you have the L-Chip to fall back on.”
“Not this time,” the Senator says, looking discouraged. “The L-Chips gave us nothing. Both her and Evan’s recordings are all jacked up because of the hack job Val pulled on me last night.”
“You never reset The Database?”
“No, goddamn it, I didn’t think I had to! All we could do was trace their steps. The locator function on their L-Chips was the only thing working. God, I’m such an idiot.”
“So you really know nothing?” I can sense Perry’s anxiety dissipating, but Willenger on the other hand, is becoming more and more agitated.
“That’s right, we don’t know a goddamn thing.” The Senator laments. “I’m just hoping the feds can clear things up.”
“E-excuse me?” Perry stutters. “What about the feds?”
“The FBI is coming, they’re coming to Santa Verde.”
“Oh,” Perry gulps. “That should be interesting, sir.”
“Yeah, the President wants to get to the bottom of this. Things are just not adding up. You know what we found in the wreckage today? Broken bottles of medicine! How the hell did they get there?”
“Medicine you say? That’s unusual.” Perry acts disinterested, but I know he must be losing it.
“You know what Jeremin thinks?” the Senator rambles.
Perry shakes his head.
“He thinks there was a smuggling operation going on, and they used the delivery bread trucks to traffic drugs during my speech. Personally, I think he’s jumping to conclusions, but who knows? Maybe he’s onto something? The feds will figure it out. When they get here I want you to help them. We need to interview all the medics who have access to the supply rooms.”
“Hmm?” Perry nods, acting like he’s checking my chart. Beads of sweat form above his lip. He must be trying to figure out a way to cover his ass. He knows if the feds investigate, he’s done for.
“You okay?” Willenger asks.
“Yeah, why?”
“You seem a bit uneasy when I mentioned the feds.”
“Did I? I’m sorry, I think it would be a fine idea to have the feds come,” Perry answers with a bit of irony in voice. “They’ll find out about all the things that go on here. They’ll find out how Evan killed two YP’s by bashing in their heads. They’ll find out how Val hacked into The Database using your device just so she could have intercourse with someone. They’ll find out how a teenager plunged to his death trying to escape Santa Verde. They’ll find all that out, and maybe even more. Like all the girls you have sex with around here. Are they all at the age of consent? I know how hard you worked to bring it down to age 15, but are they all 15? I know congress is mostly progressive about that sort of thing, but there are still a few prudes left over from the old way. Now I know they don’t hold that much influence with the general public, but can you afford the bad press while two of your most celebrated recruits are under federal investigation?”
“Alright, alright, I see your point,” Willenger slumps down on a chair. “What am I going to do then? I can’t tell the feds not to come.”
“You could, if the case was closed.”
“Yeah, but it isn’t.”
“Tell them it is. Say religious fanatics blew up the Town Square. No one’s going to question you on that.”
“They’re going to want evidence, Perry. Specifics, a narrative.”
“That’s true,” Perry says, sounding disappointed. “That’s very true.” He begins pacing around the room, rubbing his face, trying to come up with something else. He then stops. “I got it!” he yells.
“What? What do you have?
“Use Jeremin’s hypothesis.”
“Huh?”
“The smuggling operation. Tell them about the medicine that was found at the bakery. That’s the evidence they’ll need.”
“I’m not following.”
“Tell the feds that Evan Sparks uncovered a smuggling operation right here in Santa Verde. The bakery was a front to traffic drugs. Evan killed a whole bunch of One-Wayers posing as Youth Patrollers; and two of them were even trying to kidnap Val. But in spite of Evan’s heroics, he was hurt so badly in the confrontation that not even his L-Chip can fix him.
The Senator likes what he’s hearing. But just as his expression is turning positive, it suddenly becomes dour. “What happens when Evan does wake up?”
“If he wakes up,” Perry responds coldly. “‘If’ is the operative word.”
“What do you mean by ‘if’?”
“I mean I could sustain his coma for the rest of his life if I wanted to.”
“That’s cruel, Perry. Even for a murderer like Evan. Why don’t we just kill him, and say he died from the injuries he sustained? Wouldn’t that be easier?”
“I guess we could do that,” Perry says tentatively. “I guess we could.” He looks down on me and takes a deep breath. He then glances up at my chart. He’s about to do what I think he’s about to do.
But then Willenger flings his arms up in air. “Hold on, we’re forgetting something! We’re forgetting about Valerie. She knows what really happened. She won’t go along with the narrative, she’ll talk.”
“Then we’ll have to kill her too,” Perry says bluntly.
“I’m not killing, Val!” Willenger fires back.
“Then you might as well bring in the feds and let them find out what really goes on here.”
“I can’t kill her, Perry, I just can’t!” the Senator grabs the medic by his shoulders, “You’ve got to do something! You’ve got to fix this shit!�
��
“Well well well,” someone says.
Willenger and Perry turn around. It’s Ashley leaning up against the doorframe.
“Did you forget about me, Vinnie? Did you?” She saunters into the room with an air of superiority. “I’ve been waiting out there this whole time, listening to you two, and I have to say; you guys are fuckin’ sick.”
“Ashley!” Willenger fumes. “You better not say anything.”
“I’m not going to say a goddamn thing, I don’t want to end up dead in my sleep.” She glances up at Perry with disdain. “If you two idiots want Valerie to stay quiet, it’s pretty obvious on what to do.”
Willenger and Perry look at each other confused.
“Really? You guys don’t know? Think Vinnie. What does Val want more than anything in the world?”
“I-I don’t know.” Willenger says. “What does she want?”
“She wants Evan,” Perry utters.
“Exactly.” Ashley proclaims. “She wants Evan. Give Evan back to her and everything will be fine.”
“And how would we do that?” Willenger frets.
“Tell her as soon as he get’s better, Evan can join the Youth Music Singers again. Tell her you’ve forgiven him, and that you understand why he did what he did.”
“And what happens when he actually does wake up,” Willenger grumbles. “I’m not putting him back in the music group!”
“You don’t have to, Vinnie. Didn’t Perry just say he could keep Evan this way?”
“Yes, he did.”
“Just tell Valerie, Evan is still in a coma and that he responds positively when her songs are played for him. Say it’s up to her to save his life.”
“And what happens after a year when he doesn’t wake up?” Willenger asks.
“You think she’s going to wait for some guy in a coma? I don’t think so. And besides, Vinnie, you can use this time to get her back. Evan’s out of the picture, there’s no competition and you’ll look like the good guy this time.”
Willenger cracks a smile. “That’s brilliant Ashley."
“You’re goddamn right, it is.”
“So Evan just stays like this?” Perry says.
“Yep,” Ashley says. “He just stays like that until Val moves on. Then you can do whatever you fuckin’ want with him.”
All three of them slowly turn and look down on me. I scream but they don’t hear.
CHAPTER 30
It’s hell. It’s absolute hell. It’s been three days since Perry paralyzed me. He wheels me out into the Santa Verde Gardens every morning and just leaves me here by myself, sitting in this wheelchair. But today is different, Val showed up this morning. She’s sitting with me right now. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to spend another day alone. She isn’t saying much, but that’s okay, I’m just glad she’s here. She hasn’t mentioned anything about the baby, I don’t know if she’s pregnant or not. She looks sad. I wish I could do something to cheer her up. I want to tell her I love her, but I can’t, I can’t do a fucking thing.
“I’m leaving today, Evan,” she tells me, breaking the silence. “We’re going back on tour, and I don’t know when I’ll be back. Ashley mentioned you’d be joining us as soon as you get better, but I don’t believe her. I’m only going on tour because I think I have to.”
She reaches out her hand and holds mine. She starts to cry, I cry too, but I don’t form any tears. I don’t think I can.
She gets up and leaves me. I can hear her cry as she walks away.
The morning has given over to the afternoon, and the sun cruises across the horizon. Dark clouds are forming and the feel of winter is at hand. It’s cold and she’s gone. It’s just me in the garden, alone, alone with my thoughts. How many more days can I live like this? How many more months? How many more years of me doing nothing? Oh God, if only she could hold my hand one more time. This is hell, absolute hell.
A large hologram billboard drifts above the city.
“Hate was our History, Diversity is our Destiny,” it shouts as it beams images of children chanting Youth Nation mantras. “Hate was our History, Diversity is our destiny! One way? No way. One way? No way. There is no law–in Utah. There is no law–in Utah.”
Suddenly, the billboard changes: ‘Medical Update!’ It reads in big bold letters. “We interrupt this broadcast with a special medical report!” a young pretty girl appears on the screen standing outside the gates of Santa Verde. “The nation is still a buzz after the amazing heroics of Evan Sparks. This morning, Perry Sharp, the lead medic, tasked with treating the famed Youth Nation Singer, informed me he’s quite optimistic that Mr. Sparks will make a full recovery within six months, and that the ‘Boy Who Changed Everything’ is improving rapidly and shows great promise when he listens to the music of Valerie Star. Here’s to you Evan, we love you and hope to see you back on tour real soon. Now back to our regular scheduled program.”
The billboard goes back to normal. It shows a montage of photos of individuals who are wanted by the government. It’s mostly religious fanatics and members of the Resistance. There’s a picture of Governor Puck, their leader, but it’s blurry. His pictures are always blurry.
Then I hear, “Youth (clap clap) Na-tion! Youth (clap clap) Na-tion”. The chant is not coming from the billboard, but from a group of young recruits marching by. “Youth (clap clap) Na-tion! Youth (clap clap) Na-tion”.
I watch the kids pass, and coincidently, these are the same kids that rode on the bus with me. They’re dressed in their bright and cheery green uniforms. They’re all happy, or seem to be happy. There’s the Arab boy, who bled all over me while his mom begged for his life. There’s Janice; little Janice cute as ever, there they all are, all of them. Well, except for one, except for Bobby.
An older teenage girl, with red hair and freckles leads the recruits through the gardens. She’s wearing the casual Youth Nation uniform that Motivational Trainers wear. “Let’s keep marching children, let’s enjoy the beautiful trees,” she says with a nice sweet voice. She meanders along without a care in the world. She glances my way and stops abruptly when she sees me, sitting in the wheelchair. “And look who we have here, children, the hero of Santa Verde.” The kids come over and gawk at me. “Can you believe what we’re seeing children? It’s him,” the freckled-faced girl continues. “He saved Valerie Star from the clutches of religious extremists. He risked his life for her and for all of us. Now let’s give him the honor and respect he deserves. Let’s sing to him about how much we hate our parents.”
“I hate mommy, I hate daddy,” they all chant that familiar lullaby. “I hate mommy, I hate daddy.”
“That was very good, children,” she says proudly. “That was very, very good. Now let’s say good-bye to Evan and get back to enjoying nature. This way children; this way.” She directs them to march over to the center of the garden where the fountain is located. “Now remember children,” she goes on. “Remember how your moms and dads scolded you for not cleaning up your room? Well, we should have scolded them for not cleaning up the planet. You’re parents left a mess, and they deserve to die.”
The Arab boy, who bled all over me, breaks away from the group and comes walking right up to me. “You were there when my mom was murdered, weren’t you?” he says. “I’m supposed to forget about her, but I can’t.” He pauses, hoping I would say something. “You really can’t talk, can you? I was hoping you could let me know who that guy was, you know, the guy who shot my mom. I never got a good look at him, so I don’t know who he was. It’s probably better that I don’t. I don’t know what I’d do to him if I ever saw him.”
“His name is Jeremin Jolt,” someone says. The kid looks around searching for this mystery voice. His eyes finally fall on someone or something that’s standing right behind me. “He’s squad leader of Cheetah Squad,” the voice continues. “Bide your time, kid, and when the time is right, do what you need to do.”
The boy gives a slight smile. “Thank you,” he says, addres
sing the stranger. “Thank you very much.” He turns around and joins the rest of his group. He glances back one more time and gives a slight nod.
“Evan,” The mystery voice says. “It’s me, it’s time to go.”
CHAPTER 31
I then realize very quickly who the stranger is; it’s Perry. He wheels me away rather hastily. We’re not heading back to my apartment where he usually dumps me off in the evening. He’s taking me straight to the medical building. We go inside, and like last time I was here, it’s empty; no one is around. We find an examination room and go in. He lowers the back of my chair until I’m lying completely flat. He places the tweaker device on my L-Chip and pulls up my hologram chart. He dials a few things up and a few things down. Then I feel a rush come over me, my blood flows through my body. My muscles are stimulated almost to the point of agony. Then Perry shuts off the hologram and pulls the device off my L-Chip. I lie there, unable to move, wondering what he’ll do next. He looks over me and then jabs something into my forehead and starts digging.
“Awwww!” I scream. I can scream?
It feels like my brain is being sucked out, he’s killing me. He keeps digging and digging. Oh God, just put me out of my misery. Then all at once, the pain stops.
“It’s done, Evan,” Perry mumbles.
“It’s done?” I say, realizing I can speak. “I can talk.” I blink a few times and then quickly sit up. “I can sit up too! I can move!”
“Yes you can,” Perry says, turning around to clean his medical tools under the ultraviolet light. One of his tools looks like the apparatus that the old man used when he tried to take out the Arab boy’s L-Chip.
I touch my forehead. The chip is gone, but a scar has replaced it. “What’d you do?” I ask.
“I took out your L-Chip,” he answers directly. “I cut open your forehead and pried out the chip. I cauterized the wound to stop the bleeding but more importantly, I stopped your brain from hemorrhaging.”
“It’s really gone?”
“That’s right, you’re now mortal. You’ll grow old and die.”
“Why’d you do it, Perry?”
Youth Patrol Page 17
