by Jackie D
Guardian? Am I dead?
Kaelyn’s eyes must have shown her confusion and fear because Arrow followed up her initial introduction.
“Don’t worry. You’re okay. I know this is all going to be a lot for you to take in, but you’re okay. I’m here to protect you.”
Kaelyn wanted to ask her what she needed protection from. She wanted to know where her parents were. She wanted to know where she was and what had happened. She needed answers to a million different questions. But she didn’t get the chance to ask them. A woman in a lab coat, whom she assumed was a doctor, came in and asked Major Steele to wait outside. The major looked like she was going to object but backed away from the bed anyway. Then, there were lights being flashed in her eyes and questions being lobbed at her in rapid succession. She tried to sit up; she wanted to see Arrow. She wanted to feel that familiarity again, but she was already gone.
* * *
Arrow stood in front of the interactive map in the control center. She traced the magnetic pen over another route, and the possible issues they could encounter appeared on a list on the side of the screen. She made a wiping motion with her hand, and the information disappeared, and she started over again.
“We’ve gone over these routes a hundred times. We have the best one mapped out,” Valor said from behind her.
She ran the pen over a different area. “I know. I’m looking for an alternative route, just in case.”
“We have one of those too.”
“We need a third, fourth, and fifth plan,” Arrow said to herself as much as Valor.
She thought for a moment he might argue, but a retort didn’t come. Instead, he appeared beside her. “You should get some sleep. We have a long few days ahead of us, and we’re going to need our rest.”
She didn’t bother looking over at him. She put her fingers to a point and drew them outward, causing the map to zoom in further. “I’m fine. I’m going to wait for the doctor to say it’s okay to talk to Phoenix One.”
“Maybe we should start calling her Kaelyn. According to her psychological workup, we’ll make more progress that way.”
“Yes, of course, Kaelyn. I knew that.”
He touched her arm. “Of course you did. You’re tired. You’ve been at this for hours. Let’s get some rest.”
CAM’s voice filled the room. “Kaelyn Trapp won’t be available until tomorrow morning. According to your stats, Major Steele, you need at least five hours of sleep to be at your optimal efficiency. I can notify you in the morning when she’s ready.”
Valor wiggled his eyebrows. “See.”
She put the pen down. “Fine, you win. I’m sure a little sleep would be good for me.”
It wasn’t far to their assigned dwellings, and once they arrived at Arrow’s, Valor said good night and retreated into his, directly across the hall.
She changed her clothes, brushed her teeth, and made sure her uniform for the next day was pressed and ready for wear. Then, she sat back on her bed and pulled out her computer station. She’d looked through the photos and information on Kaelyn Trapp thousands of times before, but this time was different. She’d met her now, had made eye contact with her, knew what her voice sounded like in person.
She swiped through the photos. They began when Kaelyn was a child and went all the way through to a few weeks before her cryogenic state. She understood Kaelyn would be overwhelmed by the world now. It was vastly different from the last time she was conscious, nearly seven decades ago. When Kaelyn had entered her cryo state, the air was still breathable without the protective barrier that had to be created, governments around the world were still intact, and her parents were still alive. She didn’t yet realize that science no longer held a place in the regular world and that she technically was no longer in the United States.
Arrow couldn’t imagine what it would be like to wake up one day and have everything she’d ever known be nonexistent or completely different. There’d be no way to center herself because the center of everything she knew would be gone.
What she needed Kaelyn to understand was that this would be her purpose. Phoenix One was the key to restoring a sense of normal for herself and the rest of the world. The world needed her. The people under the Hand of God needed her, even if they didn’t realize it. The Resistance needed her. Arrow was going to make sure that was entirely clear.
Chapter Three
Kaelyn opened her eyes. The room was mostly dark except for the light that crept in through the cracked door. Her sleep had been fitful at best. There were so many images in her mind, memories that were coming to the surface of everything that had happened. Even with those images bubbling up, she still had questions that needed to be answered.
She looked around her room for a TV but didn’t see one. “How can there be no TV?”
Then a voice that seemed to seep through the ceiling answered. “Good morning, Kaelyn. What can I help you with?”
Kaelyn wasn’t sure what was happening, but the voice seemed to know her, which was odd. But it couldn’t hurt to answer. “Who are you?”
“I’m an artificially intelligent computer analysis system, but people call me CAM.”
Kaelyn looked down at her hands, straining her eyes in the light. No, this wasn’t a dream. She could see, feel, and hear. “Nice to meet you, CAM.”
“Introductions aren’t necessary for my system. However, if it makes you comfortable, we can continue in this way,” CAM said.
“Um, no. I guess that’s okay. Is there a TV in here?” Kaelyn pushed herself up on her bed. Her arms shook from the minimal effort, but she was tired of lying down.
“I cannot make that available to you until you’re caught up with all pertinent information. I have notified the doctors that you’re awake. They’ll be here momentarily.”
Just as CAM finished, the door slid open, and a doctor walked in. “CAM, activate the lights but keep them at a lower level. I want her eyes to adjust.”
The doctor walked over to her and grabbed her hands. “Can you squeeze for me, please?”
Kaelyn did as she was asked while studying the man in front of her.
“Very good.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small metal bracelet with a glowing blue button. He unhooked it and slipped it on her wrist. “My name is Dr. Hyde. How are you feeling?”
“What is that?” She used her head to motion to her wrist.
He showed her his wrist where a matching bracelet glowed back at her. “It monitors all your internal functions. Everything from your hydration levels, to your heart rate, to your need for sleep, food, or assistance. They’re standard issue. CAM keeps track of all of that information. You just need to ask, and she’ll tell you or notify someone to help you.”
Kaelyn focused on her other wrist, noticing something she hadn’t before. Wrapped around like a watch was a red and blue flame tattoo. The flame took the shape of a bird at its apex, reaching up toward the back of her hand. Underneath the wrist were two characters. P1. She didn’t remember wanting this tattoo, much less receiving it. Everything was still so blurry in her head. Too many memories overlapping, bumping up against each other, layering themselves like soft sand against sharp rocks.
The doctor mumbled something as he ran his finger over his tablet. He looked to be only about twenty-two years old, just a baby. “Where did you go to medical school?”
He smiled down at her while using a handheld device to scan her body. “That’s not how things are done anymore. But don’t worry. I was born into the healing class. I have been training for this job since I was old enough to walk.”
Healing class? Glowing bracelets? Artificial intelligence oversight? The questions were mounting in her head, and she was finding it difficult to breathe. She’d never had a panic attack, but she’d read enough about them to assume that she might be having one.
He put his hand on her shoulder. “I know you have a lot of questions and you’re going to get answers to all of them. Can you tell me what yo
u remember?”
She took deep breaths in and out. She tried to focus on the things she could see and touch, things she knew were real. She knew the doctor was asking her the right questions, but she couldn’t bring herself to answer.
He must have seen her hesitation because his voice became even calmer than it had been moments before. “On second thought, let’s wait. I’m going to get you with people that will be able to answer your questions much better than I can. Do you feel up for a walk?”
A walk sounded wonderful. Kaelyn wanted to move around; her body felt as if it had been stationary for years. That would help clear her head, and if it brought her to people that could help her remember what happened, that would be even better.
“Yes, I would like that,” she said.
* * *
Arrow hurriedly put her uniform on and rushed to the Guardian lounge. CAM had woken her and told her that Kaelyn was awake and available. The doctor was bringing her to the lounge to make her more comfortable. She didn’t bother to knock on Valor’s door; CAM would let him know too.
The door slid open, and she heard CAM announce her arrival, but it was muffled by the buzz of excitement. Her parents were sitting in the lounge, along with a general from Level Two and Kaelyn. Kaelyn’s face was pale, and she looked overwhelmed. Arrow looked at the tablet she was swiping through and wanted to take it from her. No one should be catching up on so much history and destruction like that.
Kaelyn looked at her from her seat and seemed relieved to see her. Arrow’s need to protect Kaelyn had been ingrained in her training, and it showed itself now. Her hand twitched with the urge to go to her, to block her from the thoughts and feelings she must be experiencing. Arrow took a seat next to her mother instead.
Her mom put a hand on top of Kaelyn’s. “Kaelyn, I’m sure you have many questions, and we want to answer them. I just want to make sure we start in the right place. So, why don’t you go ahead and start.”
Kaelyn leaned forward on the table, hands flat. “Who are you and where am I?”
Her mom nodded, probably trying to figure out where to start. “We are part of a government that is known as the Resistance. It was your father that gave us the name. The part that is going to take you a minute to process is that he gave us the name sixty-seven years ago.”
Her mom turned. “CAM, please show us the footage from President Trapp and Kaelyn on her cryo date.”
A few moments later, the screen fluttered with a few grainy images, and then Kaelyn and President Trapp appeared. They were sitting at a table with the cryo system in the background. Arrow had watched this video a hundred times; she knew it word for word. She’d always found herself transfixed by Kaelyn, and today was no different. Except now it was Kaelyn in front of her, not on the screen. She watched as Kaelyn’s face changed, the emotions she felt making her jaw clench and causing her eyes to water.
“To whoever is watching this, I’m President Daniel Trapp, and this is my daughter, Kaelyn. If this recording is being viewed, then we’ve fallen further behind than we ever imagined. In fact, if you see this, I’m on the verge of no longer being the president, and our very way of life is in grave danger. An undeniable force has infected our nation and may bring all of us to our knees. A pervasive cancer has poisoned the minds of our country. I’m confident that although we have lost several of the battles, we will undoubtedly win the war.” He faltered and looked at Kaelyn.
Kaelyn put her hand on his back and continued for him. “We are enacting something called the Phoenix Project. There are four of us in all, four Phoenix fail-safes. The details have been outlined in the files given to a few chosen individuals. We’ll all be entering a cryogenically frozen state, until the time we can best be utilized to help us take back our country. Each of us holds a special significance to our value system, our history, and the soul of what our forefathers intended.”
The image cut out, and a black screen appeared for a few moments before the picture reappeared. President Trapp was standing next to Kaelyn, who was lying in a clear tube. Doctors were pushing buttons on the screen as the glass casing became crystallized.
President Trapp looked back at the camera, and there were tears in his eyes. “The Phoenix Project will undoubtedly be our last hope. If you’ve chosen to activate the project, please make sure you can use it as it is intended. The timing must be perfect. I don’t want to give my daughter up in vain. All three of the outlined protocols must have been met prior to you enacting the Phoenix project: the people need to be ready and willing to support the effort, there must be instability within the reigning government, and there must be a military force that can back up their efforts. And, Kaelyn, if you’re finally watching this, I love you. Remember who you are and who raised you. You can do this. You all can.”
Chapter Four
The memories were coming back. The images of natural disasters, dead children, and mass homicides rushed back to the forefront of her mind. She remembered the year of planning the Phoenix Project took as the world crumbled around her. She remembered the Hand of God, a political organization that had decided on its new name after the collapse of the Republican Party. She remembered the way they’d used fear and manipulation to scare people into handing over their rights, their thoughts, and their conscience. She remembered everything. Then, she realized, if she was sitting here now, so many years later, things must have become much worse.
Her body reacted to the flood of memories and new information by forcing itself to vomit. She bent over a trashcan, her knees shaking, and the world spun around her. She heard a voice call for a doctor, but that wasn’t what she wanted. She wasn’t here for that. She turned, looking for the voice that had seemed so familiar when she’d first woken up. Arrow, she wanted Arrow.
As if her mind called to her, Arrow was beside her instantly. She grabbed Arrow’s arm to steady herself. Arrow was strong, solid, an anchor she could use to ground herself. She looked up at her. There was so much concern in her gray eyes, so much desire to help, but it seemed impossible for a person she didn’t know.
“I need you to tell me everything,” Kaelyn managed between desperate breaths.
Macy Steele interrupted. “We don’t need to do that yet. We can give you a chance to get your bearings.”
Kaelyn sat back down at her seat at the table and wiped her mouth with a cloth someone handed her. “With all due respect, President Steele, I know what I’m capable of, and I’m capable of this now.”
Arrow sat beside her. “Why don’t we start with where you are. There’ll be time for everything else.”
Kaelyn wanted to know as much as she could as quickly as possible, but she resigned herself to the idea that Arrow might be right. She’d been asleep for a long time, and she didn’t trust all her limbs quite yet. She should take a little bit of time to acclimate to her surroundings.
“Okay, Major. I’d like a tour.” Kaelyn pushed herself out of her chair, her stomach a little queasy.
Arrow was beside her instantly, steadying her. “Why don’t we start with some food?”
Kaelyn nodded and followed her to the door. It slid open, showing an advanced version of what Kaelyn knew in her time as an elevator. Arrow explained that they were now called lifts, but it worked in the same manner. The lift moved down and then seemed to move forward until it came to a very subtle and smooth stop.
“This is the canteen. There are three of them inside the facility, but this is where the officers eat.” Arrow stepped up to the counter.
There was no line, and the room was empty except for the people who were serving the food and one man sitting in the corner, eating at a table by himself. The counter was shiny and black, reflecting the soft overhead lights. The daily menu hung behind the counter, a digital display with numbers next to each food item.
“What are the numbers for?” Kaelyn pointed.
“All the food is tied to a point system. Depending on your activity level for the day, you need to take in a certain amount o
f points.” Arrow looked at the glowing band on her wrist. “As of right now, I need seventeen points worth of food to keep my caloric intake balanced.”
Kaelyn looked at her band, and her activity level read four. “What does that mean?”
“Just double it and that’s how many points you need.” Arrow smiled. “So, you get eight.”
“What does eight points get me?”
Arrow shrugged and looked up at the menu. “You can either have a vegetable salad with an apple or three pieces of fruit.”
“A vegetable salad seems redundant. What kind of salad dressing can I have?”
“There’s only one kind, oil and vinegar.”
“There’s no ranch?”
Arrow’s eyebrows furrowed. “What’s ranch?”
Kaelyn put her tray on the counter. “I can’t believe you woke me up and put me in a society where there’s no ranch dressing.” She looked at the woman behind the counter. “Vegetable salad with an apple please.”
Arrow slid her tray next to Kaelyn and ordered. “We’re what you’d call vegan. So, whatever this ranch stuff is, it must have had animal byproducts in it.”
Kaelyn sat at the table and put the first tomato in her mouth. “It would be better with ranch.”
Arrow laughed. “Well, when you’re put in charge, put that at the top of your list.”
Kaelyn tapped the side of her head and winked at Arrow. “It’s already at the top of the list.” She looked around the table. “No salt or pepper, either?”
Arrow went to the counter and came back with a small container and handed it to Kaelyn. “Pepper, no salt.”
Kaelyn rolled her eyes. “Let me guess, because it’s bad for you?”
“That and because salt has to be mined. You can find it in Eden but not here. There are substitutes, as you know, but we don’t have access to that here. Pepper is a plant, so we can make it ourselves.”
