“Come on, kiddo, I know it tastes like cardboard, but you’ve got to eat,” prompted her father.
Gwen took a last look at the bowl, then put it aside, untouched. “I don’t think I can do this today, Dad.”
“What? Can’t eat breakfast?”
“No… well, I think if I eat that I’m going to be sick,” she said, glancing at the porridge with a grimace. “I meant, I don’t think I can face going to school today.” Gwen gazed up at her father, her eyes becoming glassy. She cuffed away the tears before they could fall. “How am I supposed to concentrate in class when I know we’re as good as trapped? If we do as we’re told, all our closest friends will be destroyed.”
Marco took a deep breath, his eyes sad. He came and sat by his daughter and placed an arm about her shoulders. “It makes me feel sick, too,” he said quietly. “But I have a greater responsibility to keep you safe—that’s my first priority.”
“But what about Phil? He’s like my uncle. What’s going to happen to him?”
Marco paused, his jaw clenching for a moment. “Phil’s a grown man. He knew the risks, the same as I did. They all knew what was at stake.”
“But, Dad…”
“Enough, Gwen,” snapped her father. “I’d give up Phil ten times over if it meant you stayed safe.” He paused, voice softening. “But with any luck, it won’t come to that.”
She felt a glimmer of hope. “What do you mean?”
“I haven’t given up entirely. They’ve let us go for the moment and we need to make the most of it.” Marco turned Gwen so that she looked at him. “This place was a prison long before we got caught, but I’m going to get us off this island. I just need a few more days to get things in line.”
Gwen’s heart began to race at the thought of leaving, a mixture of fear and excitement buzzing in her chest. In her Dark Web searches, she’d read much about what existed in the Wastelands outside the city walls, much of it contradictory, but all agreed on one thing—life was brutal for those that existed there.
“So, what I need you to do for me is play the part that Harris wanted. Don’t draw attention to yourself. Block all this crap out by just concentrating on your school work and mandatory activities, and act like a normal kid.” Marco gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Can you do that for me?”
Gwen nodded. “When do we leave?”
“If everything goes to plan, in three days’ time—Friday.”
Marco stood and opened a cupboard in the kitchenette and pulled out a large container of brown rice. “But we might have to run at a moment’s notice, and if that happens, I want you to be able to protect yourself.” Unscrewing the lid, he poured the contents into another bowl. At the end of the cascade of rice, slid out a black metal object sealed within a plastic bag. Marco picked it up, shook off the remaining grains and extracted a small handgun from the bag. He checked the chamber was empty and safety on, then passed the pistol to his daughter.
“I know you kids have trained with a variety of weapons on the range, but have you used one of these before?”
Gwen turned the gun over, the mat steel of the Ruger pistol cool against her skin. Design of projectile weapons had changed little in the previous century. Thin and no bigger than her hand, it was designed to be a concealed weapon.
“I haven’t used this exact model, but I’ve shot a few like it.” Gwen ejected the magazine, already loaded with seven rounds. She felt grim as she checked out the ammunition. The .380 rounds were relatively small, but still lethal. Her dad wasn’t joking around.
Marco extracted the last item from the plastic bag, an ankle holster, and passed it to her. Gwen pulled up her pants leg and fastened it in place, forehead creased as she slid the weapon home and covered it once again. Standing, she took a few steps around the room. It felt odd despite the low weight, like she was lopsided.
“Is it ok?” asked her dad.
“I’ll get used to it.” The feeling of helplessness was starting to fade. Her father had taught her to buck the system since she could walk, and now that she knew they were taking back control of their future, Gwen felt her anxiety lessen. Survival was far from certain, but refusing to be Viperob’s pawn was a starting point.
Chapter Ten
Ethan slouched in his chair in class. At his feet sat the bag with the bang stick and data chip inside. He’d been about to bolt from the corporation grounds before school when he’d had the bad luck of running straight into the principal. Without a convincing excuse on hand, he’d had no choice but to go straight to class and delay taking the data chip off site.
After the excitement of the previous day, he’d been wired and unable to sleep until the small hours of the morning. Now he was paying for it. Exhaustion compounded every ache in his body, each muscle complaining at the smallest movement. He sat in the middle of a classroom starved of natural light, one of fifteen students that sat behind individual smart desks. Ethan rubbed at his eyes, frustrated by his vision that doubled as he attempted to focus. Another yawn slipped out before he could catch it.
His teacher, a middle-aged man with a protruding belling, stopped his slow pacing at the front of the class and fixed Ethan with a hard look. “Am I keeping you up, Master Claymore? Are my classes so boring that you’d rather catch an extra forty winks instead?”
Ethan bit his tongue, keeping his first thoughts to himself. Of course. Mr. Maloney’s classes were boring—he wasn’t the only kid in the room who struggled to stay awake at the best of times. But there was no point antagonising this particular teacher; “Maggot Maloney”, as he was known by the kids, handed out detentions at the drop of a hat.
“No, sir. I just didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Your lack of discipline is not my problem. Disturb my class with another yawn, and you’re out.” He glared at Ethan for a few moments before flicking his eyes away with a look of contempt and resumed his pacing. “Now, where was I?” Maloney tapped his fingers on his thigh for a moment. “Yes, that’s right, we were discussing the nation-changing moment heralded by the launch of the Benevolent League of Businesses. If you engage your smart desks, you’ll find a short presentation loaded on the subject that I want you to watch.”
Ethan lifted his elbows off his desk and gave the tabletop a swift triple tap with the end of a finger. At the awakening command, the black surface blinked into life, transforming into a metre-wide touch-sensitive screen. He extracted a pair of Bluetooth ear pods from his bag and inserted one into each ear. A file pulsed in lurid yellow in the middle of the screen, prompting him to open. Ethan rubbed furiously at his eyes one last time as he sat up straight and began to watch the video, knowing that Maggot Moloney would target him with questions at the end.
The screen started with a panoramic shot of Parliament Hill in the nation’s capital, Canberra. The rolling green lawn that had sloped up and over the building in previous centuries was gone, exchanged for tones of reinforced concrete. High fences encircled the complex as a barricade to separate the public from their leaders. The shot slowly zoomed in to the top of the hill, until twelve men and two women filled the screen. Ethan watched with a mildly revolted curiosity. Most of the adults on the screen were twice the size of what he would consider normal, corpulent guts straining at waistbands while the shirt collars of a few of the men looked like they were in danger of cutting the blood supply to their brains. They were the first people that Ethan had seen who would classify as… he searched his brain for the unfamiliar word… Obese, that was it. When people ate more calories than their body required. Something that just didn’t exist as an employee of Viperob—the corporation had no desire to waste money on overfeeding its staff or coping with the various avoidable health complaints that came with excess weight in the long term.
A commentary started through Ethan’s ear pods, a deep voice that he supposed was designed to be reassuring, but after hearing his dad’s interpretation of his world, just made him wary that he was being manipulated. The voiceover began a sto
ry, speaking of the slow transition from the economic waste of democracy toward an enlightened age of rule by oligarchy.
“By the twenty-first century, democracy was in decline. Business leaders realised that the average citizen was too busy working to give the close attention to the political class necessary for them to act in the best interests of the country. In philanthropic desire to ensure the ongoing survival and economic prosperity of the nation, leaders of the business world stood up, seeing that a change was required. Each main industry was represented by one CEO, a person to back their interests in what was to become the most powerful group in the country—The Benevolent League of Businesses, soon to be known as the BLB.
“To avoid open conflict that might disturb fragile markets, change was at first pursued quietly behind closed doors. Funds were gifted to politicians and parties that saw sense in the solutions proposed by BLB lobbyists. Of course, there was the occasional stubborn politician that couldn’t grasp common sense; however, these people were easily obliterated by concerted advertising campaigns that achieved their demise at the following election. If that didn’t work, generous remuneration packages prompted early retirement, and soon, all opposition gradually disappeared. What was left behind was the shell of democracy. Two major parties that acted at the behest and interest of their true masters—the BLB.
“Wasteful citizen rights were deleted to ensure the population could be adequately protected from terrorism and climate change events. The interval between state and federal elections were extended until, eventually, they were cancelled altogether. As the BLB already understood the true needs of the people, wasteful election campaigns were able to be avoided to the relief of the majority.
“Initially there was some unrest at the changes, but in the interest of public safety, the security forces ensured that unlawful protest was resolved.”
From the tone, Ethan couldn’t help but wonder if there was any type of acceptable protest against the BLB.
“Shortly thereafter, the BLB determined that the country had matured sufficiently to accept public acknowledgement of the true leadership structure. The Australian and New Zealand governments subsequently passed all governmental powers into the hands of the BLB to lead an expanded Australasia into a bright future.
“Since this time, the BLB had ensured the ongoing prosperity of the leading Australasian economic powerhouses and their shareholders. As a result, the benefits trickled down to employees across the country, ensuring that no one in employment would ever go hungry again. For the first time in Australasian history, all citizens of economic value had what they needed for a safe life.”
Across the room, each desktop screen blinked out as the video finished, returning to the woodgrain finish. Ethan ditched his ear pods and glanced about the room at his fellow students. Most looked bored, like they’d barely heard a word of the presentation. A few appeared thoughtful, while Jaego and Gwen looked like they’d tasted something foul.
Mr. Maloney perched on a stool at the front of the room. “There you have it, a summary of the most far-reaching changes in Australasian society barring the British invasion. All achieved peacefully for the greater good of the country.”
“Was it for the greater good of the country, or for the benefit of the corporations owned by the Benevolent League of Businesses, sir?”
Maggot’s eyebrows raised for a moment in surprise before drawing together in anger, his gaze fixing on Ethan, who only now realised that the statement had come from his own mouth.
“Are you saying the presentation was inaccurate?” asked his teacher.
Ethan sighed in resignation, knowing detention was assured no matter what he did now. He might as well ask the questions the video had prompted.
“Not inaccurate, sir, but I was just wondering if there was more to the story? The narrator alluded to the fact that people used to vote on their leaders. I don’t understand why anyone would give up such a thing willingly.”
The skin above Mr. Maloney’s collar flushed pink, the colour slowly mounting as the teacher clenched he jaw. Before he could respond, Jaego chimed in.
“Ethan was being too polite, sir. I reckon that video was pure crap. The only people that got a better quality of life after the BLB took over were their shareholders. Employees like our parents and the rest of society just got screwed.”
Ethan nodded towards his mate, thankful for his support yet again in a different type of battle.
“They talked of exchanging rights for safety.”
Maloney’s mouth dropped open now in surprise as a third student, Gwen, joined in the questioning.
“Sure, we’re safe within Viperob’s walls, but what if I don’t want the job they offer me? What if I want to go somewhere different, work for someone else? As far as I can see, that’s not possible.” Gwen paused for a second, taking a deep breath. “If I had to choose, I’d take freedom over the type of ‘safety’ we’ve been granted under the BLB. All that presentation showed us was that our forefathers were manipulated like fools.”
“Enough!” shouted their teacher, slamming his fist onto the table. Maloney got to his feet and glared at his surprised students before walking briskly to the classroom door. He opened the door, stuck his head out and inspected the hallway briefly before slamming it shut and letting out a slow breath. When he turned back again, the colour was starting to fade from his neck, but his eyes were still furious.
“You children have no idea. Be thankful for what you’ve got—a roof over your head and food to eat. You want freedom? You’ve got it. The freedom to shut the hell up and not question the BLB’s right to rule, nor to malign your parents’ employer.”
Maloney stalked to the front of the classroom. As he passed Ethan’s chair he paused and leant down so that his mouth was mere centimetres from his ear. “You keep your father’s unionist bullshit out of my classroom, or I’ll report your whole damn family, boy!”
Anger boiled within Ethan’s chest, his hands curling into tight fists on the table before him. He opened his mouth to defend his dad but was stopped by a sharp kick in the back of his chair and glanced over his shoulder to see Gwen shake her head at him, and mouth Don’t. It’s what he wants.
Ethan clenched his jaw in frustration, but kept his mouth shut. Maloney straightened, a derisive look on his face as a bell chimed, announcing the class’s end. Students erupted into noise as they shoved back chairs and made for the door. Ethan leant over slowly and picked up his bag, still fuming at the words Maloney had whispered into his ear.
“Ethan. Jaego. You’re both on detention for the next fortnight for disrupting my class.”
The two boys looked up at hearing the punishment, undisclosed anger on their faces.
“Eventually you’ll realise that my classes are for learning, not grandstanding in front of your dim-witted peers.” Maloney turned to Gwen. “And you, Miss Russo. I expected more. You can stay behind class for a moment, I want to discuss this further.”
The teacher flicked his wrist dismissively in the boy’s direction. “Jaego and Ethan, get out.”
The pair stood and walked for the door, Ethan glanced back over his shoulder with a concerned look on his face as he went. Maloney followed them, closing the door firmly as they exited.
Gwen sat at her desk, hands pressed onto the table to stop her fingers from trembling. She should have kept her mouth shut, but she also couldn’t sit down and say nothing when it was clear they were being fed a lie. And now she was about to pay for her moment of idealism. Gwen glanced at a clock in the top right corner of her desk, where four numbers glowed red in the wood-grain pattern. Time was getting away, and if she didn’t leave now, she’d be late for her next class and surely get yet another detention.
Slow footsteps approached from behind until they stopped directly behind her chair. Gwen felt a hand descend onto each shoulder, the sweaty heat of Maggot Maloney’s hands palpable through her school shirt. She suppressed a shudder at the thought of the man’s proximit
y and stared straight ahead.
“If you want to give me a detention, sir, can you just say? I need to get going or I’ll be late for my Bioengineering class.” Gwen tried to keep her voice steady, refusing to let the man know how unnerved she felt at his unnecessary closeness.
“I’ve always been impressed by you, Gwen,” said Maloney, ignoring her question completely. “But you just made statements that could see your father lose his job, and both of you expelled from Viperob’s protection.”
Gwen jerked under his hands, blindsided by the implied threat. “I don’t understand, Mr. Maloney. We were just discussing a history video, nothing more.”
Maggot’s grip tightened on her shoulders, fingers digging in like a predator’s claws. “Oh, you and I know it was more than that. There’s clear wording in all Viperob employee contracts. ‘Any person seen to slander the corporation’s name will be subject to immediate dismissal.’ It’s not my fault if your father didn’t bring you up to understand your place in the world. If you and I don’t come to an agreement,” he paused as if considering his next words, “I fear it might go very badly for your small family.”
Maloney’s hands slid off her shoulders and onto her chest, the fingers of his right hand reaching farther around to cup a breast. Gwen froze, shocked at her teacher’s sexual assault.
And then rage bloomed.
This was wrong. That an adult would use their position of power for such a despicable thing lit a white-hot inferno of anger.
Gwen shoved hard against the table and threw her head back as she stood with force, smashing the rear of her skull into Maloney’s nose. The teacher cried out with surprise and pain as he staggered backwards, blood jetting from his flattened nose in a crimson sheet down his shirt. The bridge of his nose was crushed, skewed to the right like melted plastic, while his front teeth were missing, snapped off at the gum line.
The Viperob Files Page 7
