by S. L. Baum
I inhaled deeply and did what she expected; I nodded my head in agreement. But I thought about what Gill had just told me, that his group of “we” – as he was so fond of calling them – wasn’t responsible for the attack on the city. I believed him. So if they weren’t responsible, I couldn’t help but wonder, Who was the responsible party? After reading the shocking allegations about The Council in those secret files, I wasn’t so sure that the Banished were the only people in and around Concord that I should be worried about.
The vehicle slowed for a moment and Gill looked back at us. “I see a roadblock up ahead. They are probably verifying identities.”
Cimarron craned her neck to peer through the windshield. “That’s understandable.”
I held up my hand and wiggled my fingers. “Five finger scan?”
“I expect so.” Gill nodded his head in agreement as the vehicle inched forward.
There were just two other vehicles ahead of us, and only one was directly behind. As I looked out the window, watching the first in line, I saw a Peace Keeper hold out a tablet to the driver. The man in the driver’s seat immediately extended his arm and placed his hand on the tablet. A second Peace Keeper circled the vehicle. He opened and closed each door and even got down on his hands and knees to look underneath the vehicle.
“See how thorough they are being?” Cimarron pointed. “The Banished have no chance. We have nothing to worry about. Concord Reigns.”
“Concord Reigns,” Gill and I repeated.
The second vehicle moved up, went through the same process of being scanned and inspected, and then it was our turn.
The Peace Keeper with the tablet in his hands leaned forward as Gill lowered the window. “Good day, Citizen. I am Peace Keeper Jerome.”
“Good day, Jerome. I am Gill, an Official Chauffeur.”
Jerome poked his head into the vehicle and glanced through the partition. He first locked his eyes on me, and then on Cimarron. “Are there only two passengers?” He directed the question to no one in particular.
“As you can plainly see,” Gill responded.
“I take nothing at face value. You’ll need to open the trunk so Field can take a look in the back.” The Peace Keeper raised his eyebrows. “An official vehicle,” he muttered to himself. “Give it a proper once over,” he called out to his partner, Field. “Take all the time you need.”
An impatient scowl crossed Gill’s face. “I have the Lush Ambassador in my care. We are on our way to an official appearance, on orders from The Council. She is not to be made late.”
Cimarron leaned forward in her seat. “We understand that you are performing a much needed service for our safety, but I would ask that you do it in a timely manner.”
Peace Keeper Jerome stood straight and squared his shoulders. “Five finger scan,” he huffed, ignoring her request, and then he extended the tablet. “I need proof of who you claim to be.”
“Of course.” Gill nodded and offered his hand, placing his fingers into the five circles on the screen. A white line passed over the tablet, scanning each of his prints into the Concord database. Gill kept his fingers still, and only removed his hand when the tablet beeped. A moment later his photograph appeared on the screen.
The Peace Keeper held the tablet next to Gill’s face, to get a visual confirmation of his identity. “You check out, Gill-bert. Now it’s time for the…”
A long, loud beep emitted from the tablet, interrupting his sentence. Official Concord business. Immediate clearance for Gilbert 2.01 and all passengers. The message scrolled across his screen and came through the tablet’s speakers: I could clearly hear it from where I sat in the back of the vehicle. A deep frown appeared on the Peace Keeper’s face.
I immediately felt the vehicle shake, and heard the trunk being slammed closed behind us.
There was the sound and vibration of two quick thunks as Field knocked on the top of the truck after it was secured. “Pass them through, Jerome. ”
“But…”
“But what? That was an order.”
Jerome, who was still holding his tablet out toward the vehicle, erased his frown but replaced it with a disappointed glare. But he waved us through without another word.
“That’s a bit disturbing. Anyone could be back here,” Cimarron tisked as Gill accelerated away from the roadblock.
“The Council knows I would have notified them, through the emergency call button located just behind the steering wheel, had anyone tried to stow away in or commandeer this vehicle.”
“He has proven his unwavering loyalty to Concord, which is why he has been given clearance,” I pointed out. “Isn’t that why he was chosen as our driver?”
“I suppose it is. The Council knows best. Let’s be on our way so we can get out of this drab place. The lack of vibrant color in Three is quite depressing,” Cimarron sighed.
I looked out of the window and noticed, for the first time, that she was right. The colors were not as bright as they were in One and Two, and they seemed less varied. In fact, from what I could see, the buildings weren’t as architecturally interesting and the landscaping was quite sparse, and not nearly as beautiful as it was at home. Three wasn’t as nice as Two, and even Two didn’t quite compare to One. It made me wonder what Four would have looked like, had we have made it that far. But the attack on Three had prevented us from going any farther.
“I don’t find it depressing. It’s simply less glossy and perfectly presented as One,” Gill noted. “Three is a nice community with hard working Citizens.”
“All four Concords are very nice communities with hard working Citizens,” Cimarron retorted.
“That they are,” Gill agreed. “You have no argument from me, and I don’t believe I said otherwise. You were the one who implied that Three was depressing. Which, by the way, may not be the best descriptor to use in front of the Lush Ambassador.”
“I… I… I didn’t mean.”
I put my hand on Cimarron’s arm, quieting her. “I know that all the people of Concord are important. It takes everyone working together to form a whole unit, striving toward a common goal.”
“Well said,” she smiled in relief, glad to have the momentary embarrassment over and done with. “I think we are here.”
We had arrived at our destination: a small government building in the center of Three’s business district. A short man in a black suit with a blue tie, which perfectly matched the color of his eyes, was waiting for us at the back of the building where Gill had parked. “Welcome, Bluebell. I am Boston, one of the Information Specialists here at Three.”
“How interesting, the lead Information Specialist at Two was also named Boston.”
A quick look, of what could only be described as annoyance, crossed his face. “Yes. I know. We are five years apart in age, from two different Concords, and have strangely entered into the same profession. It is an unfortunate coincidence, and something that will eventually prevent my advancement, unless I have it officially changed. But, we should get back to the task at hand.”
“Cortez is a nice name, you should consider that,” I told him. “You are right, though, I suppose we should stay on task.”
“Cortez is nice,” Boston smiled. “Well, we have everything set up for your short speech. I’ve been informed that there will be a thirty-minute delay between what you say here, and when the Citizens will be able to see the broadcast, so a quick edit can be made… if anything goes amiss, no matter how small, it will be fixed in editing. But the delay will also allow the Citizens here in attendance to watch the replay afterward. People like to see themselves on the screen,” he winked.
I smiled at Boston. “Thank you. When do I begin?”
“Immediately. They are waiting.” He gestured for Cimarron and me to follow him.
We went around to the front of the building, where a podium had been set up and a small crowd had gathered. There couldn’t have been more than fifty Citizens in attendance, all sitting in their chairs in
an orderly fashion, patiently waiting with their hands clasped in their laps. As I stepped up to the podium, I took note of the two Peace Keepers that closed in on either side of me… and the two that were standing behind the seated Citizens. All four stood with their hands poised on the stun guns that hung from their belts. And there was another weapon hanging from the opposite hip, one that I had never seen before.
I stepped forward, took the tablet I’d been clutching to my chest and placed it on the podium in front of me, and then looked straight into the camera that was positioned in the middle of the crowd. “Good day, Citizens of Concord. It is with great confidence in The Council, and with abundant pride in Concord, that I address you.” Remembering my lessons in public speaking, I let my eyes wander around the crowd. It was important for me to make eye contact with a few of the Citizens.
“We have been attacked by a cowardly group of individuals that have been cast out and have lost their privilege to be true and protected Citizens. They are angry, they are bitter, but most importantly… we must remember… they are without our resources. The weapon used here in Concord Three was crude and unsophisticated. It left clues for our Investigators, and it will not be long until the criminals are found. Concord has a zero tolerance policy for violent acts. Our Citizens know better than to attempt such a cowardly act; we respect human life too much to destroy it so shamelessly.”
I took a deep breath and thought about the hypocrisy of that statement. If what I had recently been told about Concord was even partly true, if Citizens with health issues or loyalty issues were being killed off in “accidental” deaths, then Concord had no respect for human life. None at all.
Cimarron cleared her throat, a small noise from behind me, but it was enough to bring my mind back to the task that I’d been brought there to do. I looked back down at the screen of my tablet and continued. “I am here to tell you, to assure you, that you should have no fear… because The Council will do everything in its power to protect the good and faithful Citizens of Concord. We will be looked after and shielded from further harm. The curfew is to remain in place, the security at tunnel checkpoints will be tightened, travel is limited, and the electronic barriers that safeguard our waters will soon be doubled. Concur with Concord.”
“Concur with Concord,” the Citizens repeated.
“Concord Reigns.”
“Concord Reigns!” The crowd erupted into applause.
I looked up in the sky, as a shadow crossed over the podium. Some kind of bird was flying high above. I couldn’t tell exactly what kind it was because something about it seemed off, to me. I squinted my eyes as the flying object neared the sun. The wings looked different, and the body shined… no… it glinted. The glare of the sun’s rays caused my eyes to tear, so I closed them quickly and wiped the wetness away. But as I wiped at my eyes, an image flashed in my mind. I’d seen something exit the bottom of the bird thing; something small that fell out of the strange thing up above. When I opened my eyes, I spotted the object as it fell and followed it down from the sky, until it softly landed on the podium, mere inches from my tablet.
It was a small black oval, with even smaller white words written across it. I braced my hands against the side of the podium and leaned forward, squinting my eyes so I could focus on the tiny words. The Council must have discovered my attempt to contact you yesterday. I failed, and they retaliated. Make your father remember. It’s the only way. ~Mother
The two Peace Keepers rushed toward me, their strange weapons drawn. “Stand back,” they ordered, completely in sync with each other. At the same time, the two in the back advanced forward.
Cimarron reached out and grabbed onto my belt, pulling me toward her. The sudden jerky movement caught me off guard. I stumbled, lost my footing, and fell to the ground. The crowd gasped. A loud popping sound emerged from the black oval object. It smoldered and then ignited. The small flames came to life, just as one of the Peace Keepers reached toward it.
“It’s another attack,” yelled a woman in the front row.
The man beside her stood up, and pulled her up with him. He didn’t say a word. He just turned and then started to walk away, dragging the woman along. Their pace quickened with each step they took.
I heard a few more gasps, a cry of alarm, and some soft weeping from the rest of the crowd. Most of the Citizens were no longer sitting peacefully; they were on their feet, eyes scanning the podium, the Peace Keepers, and the rest of the crowd, with confusion plastered on their faces.
“Everyone, return to your homes. Immediately,” one of the Peace Keepers ordered.
I stared at the black oval. As it continued to burn, the edges greyed and then began to flake away. A soft breeze blew by and picked up those little ashy bits and carried them away. Could it really be true? I wondered. If so, my mother is most definitely alive. My heart filled with hope.
A Peace Keeper reached out to put his hand on Cimarron’s shoulder. “You need to take the Ambassador back to her vehicle.”
She looked at him and nodded, in a daze.
“Now!”
“Get up, Bluebell,” Cimarron said with worry. “You seem stunned. I didn’t mean to pull so hard. Did I hurt you? I’m so sorry,” she babbled as she took my hand and pulled. “Let’s get you to safety. What was that thing?”
I stood up and brushed at the back of my skirt. “It was nothing,” I lied. “A small, black, roundish nothing. I mean – I’ve never seen anything like it before. It didn’t look dangerous.”
“What were you doing, leaning toward it like that? It could have exploded in your face!”
“I was just trying to figure out what it was.”
Cimarron shook her head at me. “You must be more careful. It was obviously intended to be a bomb, but the inferior skills of the Banished produced a failure… thankfully. You must have been the target. It was a completely botched job, thank goodness.”
“Thank goodness,” I agreed, aloud. It was a complete success! I thought to myself.
Chapter Two
Return Trip
The three of us were back in the vehicle, with Gill speeding toward the tunnel checkpoint that would take us from Three to Two. It was one step closer to home, and I was happy to hear that we had been ordered to leave immediately. Cimarron typed with zippy, fast fingers on her tablet, communicating with someone on The Council. Gill drove in silence, glancing back at me from time to time. His eyes held unasked questions, but there was no way for me to answer. I wanted to share the message I’d read on the black oval with him. I wanted to hear his opinion about what I should do next. But with Cimarron beside me, I was forced to keep my secret, and try to think it through all by myself.
I clung to the hope that the message was truly from my real mother; I needed her to be alive. If it wasn’t from her, then did someone want me to think my mother was trying to contact me? Who else knew about my real mother? As far as I knew, that knowledge was confined to Aspen, my grandfather and, at one point, my father – but his memories of her were gone. As I sat on the edge of my seat and mulled it all over in my head, I couldn’t come up with a valid reason why any of those three people would want me to falsely believe that my mother was trying to contact me. If anything, I was pretty sure Aspen and my grandfather would prefer it if Hope were actually dead. Seeing as Aspen, that liar of a woman, had spent so many years trying to convince me that she was my true mother, it was quite obvious to me that she would prefer to never hear the name Hope again.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized I’d made a decision. My mother was out there somewhere, and I was going to do as the note said. Somehow, I would make my father remember, whether Aspen liked it or not.
I twirled the flower ring around my finger and tried to picture my mother. It was her ring, one that I wore on a ribbon around my neck when I was little. It was the only thing I owned that had once belonged to her… lost when I was a child, and recovered by Thorn, before we entered Training Tech. He saved it for me, and i
t had sat in his house for all those years until he was able to give it back to me after we were finished with Incorporation. He knew it was important.
“I wish you could drive faster.” Cimarron’s voice disrupted my thoughts.
Gill laughed and shook his head. “Patience, my dear woman. Getting into a crash would not be good for anyone in this vehicle, or outside of it, either. We’ll get there as soon as we are able to, and not a moment before.”
Cimarron sighed deeply. “Of course I do not want you to compromise our safety. It’s just a wish. I wish I could snap my fingers and make us magically appear in One, but I know that isn’t going to happen, either.”
I looked up at the mirror and caught Gill’s frown. “Don’t wish too hard for that. I’d be out of a job.”
“You have to admit that it’s a pretty good wish. Travel by finger snap. It would be quite efficient,” I said with a smile.
“Do you think you’d be able to bring luggage with you?” Gill asked. “Or would Snap Travel be strictly for a singular being?”
Cimarron gave a soft laugh and joined in. “I think Snap Travel should include whatever you are touching at the moment of initiation.”
“What if you are touching another person?” I asked.
Cimarron tapped her cheek, and thoroughly contemplated the question. “Well, that would work, too. You’d want to travel with a companion at times.”
“Could you link arms, or would you have to hold hands?” Gill wondered.
“Luggage in one arm and the other arm linked with a companion, leaving the fingers free to snap,” Cimarron concluded.
“Dang it! Why doesn’t Snap Travel really exist?” I said with a pout. “And what about our luggage?” I grimaced as I thought of all the things we had left behind.
We had thought we’d be returning to Guest Accommodations to await notice of our approved departure. But the message from my mother had changed those plans, and we were ordered to return to One immediately.
“I will actually be making a quick stop for each of us to pack one bag, and then we must be back on the road,” Gill answered.
