Youth Patrol

by Andrew Lueders

  “I did it so they can’t track you or record your conversations any more.”

  “That’s not what I meant. I mean, ‘why’ did you do it?”

  “Because we’re escaping.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, me, you, and Val. Now listen to me,” he says, holding something between his fingers. “See this, Evan? It’s your L-Chip, it’s still operational as a locator device. We’ll bury it in the gardens before we leave. They’ll think you’re still out there.”

  “Wait, wait, wait, what the hell are you talking about?”

  He’s about to say something, but he stops. “You hear that?”

  “What?” I say.

  “That.”

  “I don’t hear anything.”

  “Yo medic, where you at?” a voice yells from the lobby.

  “Oh no,” Perry whispers to himself. “Is it 1:30 already?” Perry comes rushing over to me and sticks the tweaker device back onto my forehead. “Keep that on and don’t move, okay.” He raises the back of my seat to the ‘up right’ position. “Stay there and act like you’re still in a coma.”

  “The last time I listened to you I ended up paralyzed.”

  “I know, I’m sorry. But you’ve got to trust me this time.” He turns around quickly to face the door, “I’m back here, Mr. Turner!” he yells.

  Then, Dirk enters the room dressed in his Youth Patrol uniform, complete with his helmet and rifle. “So what’s up, Perry?” he says casually. “We’re leaving like in an hour dude, couldn’t this wait?”

  “I was looking at your chart and I saw something, I just want to run a quick diagnostic on your Chip before we take off.”

  “Something wrong?”

  “No, I don’t think so, I just want to double check something, its just procedure. Come, sit up here.” Perry pats the examination table.

  Dirk starts to walk over, but notices me instead. “What the fuck is he doing here?”

  “Oh him,” Perry answers nonchalantly. “I’m making last minute tweaks before we leave on tour. Just want to make sure he doesn’t wander off campus.”

  “He’s pretty much a basket case isn’t he?”

  “Pretty much.”

  Dirk laughs as he comes closer to me. He looks at me with his pale blue eyes, squinting like they did the first day we met.

  “Dirk!” Perry says, raising his voice. “I need you over here.”

  “If I slapped him, would he feel it?”

  “We don’t have time for this, Mr. Turner. Take off your helmet.”

  “All right, all right,” Dirk says, acting like he’s walking away, but he quickly whips around and strikes me across the face. I try not to over react, I try to stay calm, but it fuckin’ hurts. I think the tweaker device slipped a little, I wonder if the wound on my forehead is exposed.

  “Do you think he felt that?” Dirk says, cracking up.

  “I’m sure he did on some level,” Perry responds deadpan. “Now sit up on the table.”

  Dirk hops up and places his rifle and his helmet down next to him.

  “Keep looking straight ahead, Dirk, look right at Evan.”

  The patient obeys. But as Dirk’s eyes remain fixed on me, Perry turns around and carefully and quietly opens a cabinet drawer. He pulls out a syringe. It’s one of those old fashioned kind of syringes, like the ones with a huge needle.

  “What’s with Evan’s L-Chip?” Dirk points out as he continues to stare at me. “It looks like it’s gone.”

  “Oh that?” Perry says dismissively. “It’s nothing, now look down Mr. Turner.” He pushes Dirk’s head forward, exposing the neck. Perry lifts the syringe high in the air, his thumb on the piston. He pauses for a moment and then plunges the devise deep into Dirk’s flesh. Perry presses down, releasing the fluid. Dirk jumps off the table, grabbing for the syringe that’s lodged in his neck.

  “What the fuck did you do to me?” Dirk reaches for his weapon, but he quickly goes limp and collapses to the floor.

  I leap up and rip the tweaker device from off my forehead. “Oh my God, what’d you do, Perry?”

  “We’re escaping, remember? This is part of the plan. Now get his uniform on.”

  “His uniform?” I ask.

  “Yes, put it on. He doesn’t need it anymore.”

  “He’s dead?”

  Perry nods.

  “You killed him? You killed Dirk?”

  “Yes I did. Now quickly, his uniform!”

  “I’m not doing anything until you tell me what’s going on.”

  “I will, but first, get dressed.” Perry stoops down and starts to pull off the dead man’s boots.

  I quickly snatch the rifle from off the table and shove it in Perry’s face.

  He glares at me with a perturbed look. “We don’t have a lot of time, Evan. The tour leaves in less than an hour.”

  I cock the rifle.

  “Okay, okay,” Perry relents. “I guess I do owe you an explanation.”

  “You think?”

  Perry lets out a sigh. “I know what you must think of me.”

  “Well, I am a little pissed if you want to know the truth.”

  “I’m sorry, Evan. I’m sorry for doing what I did to you. I really am. I thought I could leave you paralyzed and just go on with my life.”

  “Are you working for your cousin?”

  “No, I don’t even know where Brodie is. He could have died in the blast for all I know.”

  “I don’t understand you, Perry. First, you go after your aunt and uncle, and now you’re helping me escape. What’s going on?”

  “I’ll explain, but not now.”

  “Yes - now!” I demand, holding up the rifle.

  He flings his head back out of frustration and plops down on the stool. He knows he’s going nowhere. “This is a waste of time, Evan,” he protests.

  “Maybe it is, but you better convince me that I can trust you.”

  “I don’t know if I can.”

  “Well, you better try.”

  “I don’t even know where to start,” he complains.

  “How about from the beginning.”

  “The beginning?” he mutters. “You want to know about the beginning?”

  “Yeah I do. I want to know why we’re here, right now at this moment.”

  I can tell he doesn’t want to go that far back. He’s hesitant, but eventually he looks up at me. “It was the note,” Perry finally declares. “That’s the beginning. It happened two years ago.”

  “What note? What are you talking about?”

  “You know, the note, the letter. The one I received from my father.”

  “Oh yeah, I remember you mentioning something about that to Jeremin. Your father wanted to meet you.”

  “That’s half the truth, that’s what I had Jeremin believe.”

  “Are you saying there’s more to that note?

  Perry nods. “Yeah, there’s more to the note.”

  “Really? Do tell.”

  He grimaces at my command, but he quickly composes himself. He closes his eyes and lets out a long deep breath. “I got the note from my cousin,” Perry says. “He snuck into Santa Verde, looking for me. He somehow knew I was a medic. And when he found me, he told me my father was dying and that he needed medicine to stay alive. I told Brodie I didn’t care, I tried to walk away from him, but he forced me to read it.”

  “Read what? The note?” I ask.

  “Yes, the note. What else would it be?”

  “Don’t cop an attitude with me, medic, I’m the one with the gun, remember?”

  “How can I forget,” he says a bit flustered.

  “Look,” I say. “I know you read the note, I know you tore it up, you’ve said all this before.”

  “Well, that’s what I told Jeremin, but I lied, I didn’t tear it up. I still have it.”

  “What?” I say in shock. “You still have the note?”

  “Yes. I read it all the time.”

  “What does it say, Pe
rry?”

  “Nothing.”

  “C’mon, tell me, what does it say?”

  “What does it matter, Evan, it’s just lies. My father only wrote those nice things so he could get the medicine from me. He doesn’t love me or miss me; I’m not dumb. But for some reason, I wanted to believe him; I wanted my father back. Isn’t that stupid?”

  “No, not really, so what’d you do?”

  “I showed my cousin where the drugs were. I figured, what’s the harm. No one around here uses medicine. We all have L-Chips, no one ever gets sick. The medicine just sits here and rots. Brodie took what he needed, and left, but the problem was, he didn’t leave, he was stuck here, he couldn’t get out of Santa Verde. I racked my brain, trying to figure out how to get him out. That’s when I came up with the idea to use the bread trucks. Then the next week after I helped Brodie escape, he was back. He somehow finagled his way into Santa Verde. He took more medicine without asking. Then over some time, he started working at the bakery and before I knew it, he was running the place. Now every time I come back from tour, the operation is bigger than before and more medicine is missing. I know I should’ve said something, but what can I say… say I knew about it the whole time and did nothing? I would be convicted of treason; I would be sentenced to death. So, I looked the other way and tried to forget about it, but I couldn’t, it was impossible. Then the opportunity presented itself. I could make it disappear without anyone knowing I was ever involved. Do you remember that night at the concert I saw Bobby, Brodie’s brother up on the hologram screen? I think it was your first day on patrol, do you remember?”

  “Of course I remember,” I say. “I remember it all too well.”

  “I thought this is my chance, I could finally end it once and for all.” Perry continues. “I’m not just talking about ending the bakery, but my past as well. I thought if I could cut off the head of the snake, the smuggling operation would be gone and my past would stop haunting me. But something happened to me that night when we went to that abandoned gas station. I changed. It wasn’t just the smuggling operation that bothered me, it wasn’t just Brodie or my father; it was more than that. It was everything. It was Willenger, Youth Nation; Utah. I couldn’t put the blame on just one thing. I didn’t know who was right or who was wrong. We all seemed to be despicable in our own way. I don’t know if you knew this or not, but Brodie was there that night, and I let him go. I guess I thought he goes free, and I get Bobby. So whatever happens in this war, at least one member of our family is on the winning side. But I hate their side as much as I hate our side. I hate religion. I hate what it did to my father. But I hate the Patrol as well. I hate what it did to me. Do you remember how many people we killed that day–the carnage we inflicted? And then there was the porn and the junk food, we acted like hyenas; we were no better than them. We claim to have moral authority, but we’re just like the Resistance, maybe even worse.”

  “But if it’s just as bad out there as it is in here, then why escape Santa Verde?”

  “It’s not me I’m doing this for. It’s for Val. After I immobilized you in the hospital, I went to go see Valerie. I was going to terminate the pregnancy, but when I held the wand over her stomach, she begged me not to kill her baby. Do you remember that Arab woman we chased down that day? Remember how she pleaded for her child’s life?”

  “Yeah, how could I forget?”

  “When I saw Val, I was looking at that woman all over again. I tried to convince myself that this over populated world doesn’t need another baby, but I couldn’t go through with it. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t destroy another family. Val’s baby wasn’t a statistic, it was real.”

  “Are you telling me Val’s still pregnant?”

  “Yeah, but she doesn’t know it. That’s why we have to save her. I have to save at least one family before I die.”

  “What do we do, then?” I ask.

  “I have a plan to get her out and extract her L-Chip. We’ll escape together and they’ll never find us.”

  “But what about your L-Chip, Perry? They can still track you down.”

  “Not necessarily,” he says, lifting out his L-Chip from the designer plate on his forehead. “Mine’s not attached. Maybe if it were, I wouldn’t feel this way. Most medics have them detached, you know. The thought of someone manipulating my mind like I can is pretty scary.”

  “And about Val. After we get her, where are we going?”

  “Utah,” he says.

  “Where the religious fanatics live?”

  “Yep. We have no other choice.”

  “Do you know how to get there?”

  “I don’t, but my father does. We just have to find him.”

  “And how do we do that?”

  “His note told me if I ever wanted to escape, all I had to do was to look for the clues. We just have to get to the old highway that leads up to the south side of Lake Tahoe.”

  I look at Perry like he’s crazy. “And you really think we can make it?”

  “I do. But first, I need you to put on Dirk’s uniform.”

  CHAPTER 32

  I put on the dead Patroller’s uniform as Perry let’s me in on his plan. It’s simple enough, but everything has to go just right.

  He extracts the L-Chip from Dirk’s forehead and gives me the chip. “Keep it with you at all times,” he says. “The radar will recognize you as Dirk.”

  We drag the body to a room way in the back of the medical building. Perry throws a sheet over it.

  “Why’d you pick Dirk?” I ask.

  “Because his uniform would fit you perfectly.”

  “There are other YP’s my size.”

  “True, but I didn’t mind killing Dirk. He deserved it.”

  We walk out of the room and Perry slams the door shut, locking the dead body inside. “Now get over to the depot,” he says. “Keep your visor down, don’t talk to anyone and try to walk like Dirk… if you can.”

  I start to laugh, but realize Perry isn’t joking, he never jokes. He’s dead serious. “Sure,” I say. “I’ll do that, but tell me, how did Dirk walk anyway?”

  Perry is no help; he just turns and heads off to do his part of the plan. I leave too, but take a slight detour to the Santa Verde Gardens. I drop my L-Chip near a tree and I kick some dirt over it.

  After that, I hurry over to the Transportation Depot. Youth Patrollers are everywhere. They’re checking the equipment, loading up the vehicles, testing out their weapons; they’re too engrossed in their work to notice that Dirk is walking weird. I see Jeremin pass by, but he goes about his business, unaware that there’s an imposter among his squad.

  When Perry let me in on his plan, he told me Dirk would be driving one of the Wasps in the convoy. My job is to locate the one he’s assigned to and get into it. There it is. I quickly climb inside and I shut the door. My heart can’t stop pounding. I take a deep breath and place Dirk’s L-Chip on the dashboard.

  The military vehicles and the shuttles start to pull away from the depot. I start up the Wasp and follow along. We drive to the Town Square where the people of the city have already started to gather. They’re there to wish the Youth Music Singers good luck, and to send them off with a lot of pomp and circumstance. It’s another stupid tradition of Santa Verde, and it’s the last one that I’ll be a part of.

  I see Perry waiting with the crowd just like he said he would. The limousine transport that’s carrying the singers drives up. When it stops, Perry comes over and opens the door. The Senator is the first to step out. He waves to the crowd as they cheer him on. Then, Ashley, Taryn, Johnny and the kid who replaced me emerge from the limo. They blow kisses and shake hands with the adoring fans. But as they make their way over to the shuttle bus, Val isn’t with them. She hasn’t come out of the limo yet. Perry looks concerned. He peeks in the limousine to see if she’s even in there. He starts talking with someone inside. Is it Valerie? If it is, I’m sure he’s coaxing her to come out. Time passes and finally Val appears. The crow
d goes wild. They love her. Perry whispers in her ear. I don’t know what he’s telling her, but she seems very attentive.

  Part of the genius of Perry’s plan was that he convinced Willenger that Val needed her own shuttle for the tour. He told the Senator it would make her happy, and it might even help him get on her good side. Willenger agreed, and ordered Val to have one, but the official word he gave to everyone, was that Val needed her own shuttle to help with the healing process from the terrible ordeal she experienced. No one questioned the Senator’s request.

  As Val and Perry start to walk over to the shuttle, the Senator runs up to them. He tries to talk to Val, but she’s not having it, she gives him the cold shoulder. Willenger is visibly upset, so Perry intervenes to try to calm him down. The medic points to his head to reiterate that Val is still not feeling right. Willenger reluctantly nods and walks away disappointedly. Val and Perry turn and continue on their way, but this time, they pick up the pace.

  The Senator heads over to the bandstand in the middle of the Town Square. It was damaged from the blast, but the platform still remains. He climbs up to address the crowd. “My good friends of Santa Verde!” he announces. “Thank you for coming!”

  Perry and Val get to the shuttle, climb in and shut the door. According to the plan, they’re supposed to go to one of the private bunks in the back. That’s where Perry will remove Val’s L-Chip, but he’s got to remember to pull the screen shut so the driver can’t see what’s going on. And Val somehow has to stay quiet during the operation. After the extraction, Perry will leave her chip and his on the bed. Then, they’ll sneak out of the bunk’s emergency hatch, but I don’t know which bunk they chose. I’m assuming they’ll pick one on the other side of the shuttle, one that’s opposite of the Town Square, so no one in the audience can see them climb out. As soon as I see which hatch opens, I’ll position the Wasp right up next to it. I’ll roll down the window on the passenger side and Perry and Val will squeeze through the hatch and climb right into the Wasp. No one should notice.

  “These are trying times!” Willenger continues. “Although the Resistance has penetrated our hallowed walls, it will not stop us from our mission, we will not cower under the pressure, we will persevere!”