Shudder (Stitch Trilogy, Book 2)

by Samantha Durante

Regina shook her head in disbelief. “Just when I thought we might be safe…” She sighed. “Well, onto Plan B, I guess. The next option is the highway.”

  She traced the line of the roads, the first leading slightly southwest out of Paragon until it intersected with the highway Raptor lay off of, a good distance west of it.

  “The roads aren’t perfectly direct – as you can see, the route leading out of Paragon will take us about 60 miles west of Raptor – but still, on wheels, we should be able to make the trip in four hours or less. That doesn’t give them nearly enough time to catch up to us before we reach the base, assuming we have a decent head start.”

  “Assuming we had a working vehicle.”

  Regina gave him a knowing smile. “I know the citizens here get around on foot, but I’ve been privy to some intelligence…” She paused, grinning. “Paragon’s military has got a fleet of working vehicles stashed away. Granted, we’d still need a lot of wheels to move the 800 or so people we’re expecting, but if we could pull it off, that would be a much faster route.”

  “But we’re not sure if there are enough vehicles to get everyone there.”

  “Exactly.”

  “So what if there’s not?”

  “Well…” Regina answered. “There might be another option, one that’s just as direct and almost as fast, but much higher capacity.”

  She drew a dotted line from Paragon through the center of the city.

  “What’s that?” Isaac wondered. “There definitely wasn’t another road in that spot, we would have seen it…”

  “No, not a road,” Regina smiled. “Train tracks.”

  “Like a maglev?” Isaac didn’t see how they could possibly hope to get a magnetic levitation train running – there was no electricity outside of Paragon to power the electromagnets they’d need for propulsion.

  “No, these are old tracks – iron ones, from a steam engine.”

  Isaac was confused. “But the steam engine is a relic – they don’t exist anymore. What are you going to use to pull the train?”

  A sly grin crossed Regina’s face. “Sato and Carlos have been working on something, a backup plan, in case you and Alessa didn’t return. And it just so happens that this strategy should align quite well with our plans for Raptor. We’re just missing one essential piece… that’s where you come in.”

  “Me?”

  “I need you to steal a battery.”

  A battery? That was her solution? “What kind of battery will power a whole train for over a hundred miles?”

  “The kind of battery that powers a whole hospital for over eight years.”

  Understanding dawned over Isaac. This was bold – Regina wanted to steal the reactive core of the medical facility’s nuclear generator. “You really think we can get the battery powering the hospital?”

  “I know we can. Or more specifically, I know you can.”

  Isaac tossed the plan around in his head. The med center was used mainly for experimentation on prisoners, so cutting the power would get the rebels what they need and throw a wrench in Paragon’s vile exploits. He liked the sound of that.

  “Okay, let’s say I get the reactor. How are we supposed to hold off Paragon’s forces while we load 800 people onto a train and get it moving down a three-century-old track?”

  Regina gave him a cunning smile. “Isaac, I thought you would have figured that out by now, especially given the bang you went out with on your last exit.”

  “A diversion,” he realized.

  She nodded her approval. “I’ll send a small team to steal some of those military vehicles and hope they give chase. We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves to lose them, and once they do, they’ll meet us at the city to shuttle the rest of us to Raptor in a few trips.”

  “This might actually be crazy enough to work,” Isaac contended.

  “Let’s hope so,” Regina agreed.

  Isaac had to hand it to her – the woman was calculating.

  “But listen, Isaac. This plan is top secret. We figured out after your botched rescue attempt that there was someone within the rebels feeding information to Paragon, but we don’t know who. No one knows about this except you, me, Carlos, and Sato. And it has to stay that way. I mean it, not even Alessa. That’s an order.”

  Isaac didn’t like the idea of keeping things from Alessa, but he understood the need for caution. After all, if word got into the wrong hands, all of their lives would be at risk. “Very well,” he sighed.

  “The next step is to go in for the battery. Like I said, no one else will know what you’re really up to. I’m sending Alessa and some of the others into the prison to search for allies to take with us – she would never forgive me if I didn’t let her go look for Janie, and of course I’m hoping she’ll be able to locate Lizzie as well… though, to be honest, I’m not very hopeful of finding either of them.” Regina looked pained, but she shook it off, determined as ever. “Meanwhile, we’ll tell them you’re doing the same in the medical labs. When we meet at the rendezvous, I’ll dispatch the vehicle teams and the rest of us will head to the depot with the battery.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Anyway,” Regina sighed. “I’ve talked your ear off enough for tonight. I’m sure Alessa will be looking for you by now. Just remember, please – don’t breathe a word of this, to anyone.”

  “I won’t,” Isaac promised. He turned to go. “There’s one thing I wanted to ask you, though,” he said. “The little girl, Josephine, who played my sister on the drama – do you know what happened to her?”

  His heart pounded as he waited for her response.

  “As a matter of fact,” Regina smiled brightly, “I do – come see for yourself.”

  Hope swirled in Isaac’s chest as he followed Regina down the hall. Could Jo really be here?

  Regina paused outside a door and knocked gently. The door cracked open slightly and someone peeked groggily out from the darkness inside. “I’m sorry to disturb you so late, Martha,” Regina apologized, “but there’s someone here I think you’ll want to see.”

  The door opened wider and the light flicked on, and standing there was none other than Isaac’s mother. Well, not his real mother, but the woman who had played her on the drama. Either way, it didn’t matter – Isaac swelled with joy at the sight of her, alive and well.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed, embracing him in a firm hug.

  Beyond her someone stirred in the bed – Isaac couldn’t see who through the blur of tears in his eyes. “Martha? Who’s there?” a man’s voice called.

  “Al, come see,” she cried. She turned toward him but kept one arm around Isaac’s shoulders.

  Isaac’s faux-father sat up in bed, taking Isaac in through sleep-crusted eyes. “Well I’ll be,” he whispered.

  But before Isaac could respond, he was enveloped in a small blonde whirlwind that came bounding from the tiny cot in the corner. “Isaac!” Josephine screamed.

  Isaac laughed and lifted the little girl up in his arms, his heart bursting.

  “Isaac, I missed you,” Josephine pouted, her skinny arms wrapped tight around his neck. “Where have you been?”

  Albert had gotten out of bed and was gripping Isaac’s arm affectionately. “I’m glad you’re back,” he said.

  “Me too,” Isaac beamed. He knew they weren’t his true family – that most of his memories of them were put there by the stitch – but in this moment, he just didn’t care. They felt like his family. That was enough for him.

  “Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Regina said as she bowed out. “Good night, everyone. Thanks again, Isaac, for everything.”

  They smiled as she closed the door behind her. Isaac put Jo down gingerly and Martha ushered them over to the bed. “Come, sit down, tell us what you’ve been up to.”

  They all crowded onto the bed together, Josephine worming her way onto Isaac’s lap. “You tell me what you’ve been up to first,” he insisted.

  Martha smiled. “The day you left, they
sent us all back to the prison. Being in that place again triggered the dissolution of the stitch, and we were just waiting to be assigned to our next show. Then a couple weeks later, Regina had some prison guard smuggle us out a back door during rec time – apparently he’s been sneaking out whoever he can. And we’ve been in hiding with Regina ever since.”

  “And did Regina tell you about me? What I was doing, and who I really was?”

  “Yes,” Albert responded. “She filled us in on the details.”

  “She said you were on a secret mission!” Josephine added. “Can you tell us what it was? Pretty, pretty please?”

  Isaac smiled – he couldn’t deny those puppy dog eyes. “Only if you keep quiet about it… I don’t think Regina’s had a chance to share the news yet.”

  Jo smiled conspiratorially at the prospect of a secret.

  “Alessa and I found a new base for the rebels, outside of Paragon.”

  Martha and Albert gasped in unison, but Jo seemed more interested in something else.

  “Alessa?” she asked. “The girl from your dreams? She’s real?”

  “Of course she’s real,” Isaac maintained.

  “Well that’s a relief,” Josephine replied. “I thought you mighta been, you know –” she performed an exaggerated cuckoo sign, circling her finger at her temple, her brown eyes impossibly wide, “– losing it.”

  Isaac laughed heartily at Jo’s antics – she’d been the one who first reminded him of Alessa, back on the drama, when he’d apparently been saying her name in his sleep, long before he remembered who Alessa was.

  “I wasn’t losing it,” he teased. “I just forgot who she was for a bit.”

  Josephine was indignant. “Some boyfriend you are. I hope my future boyfriend treats me better than that!”

  “Whoa there,” Albert interjected. “We’ve got quite a few years before you start worrying about a boyfriend, okay?”

  Isaac and Martha laughed together. Al just looked worried.

  “Wait, so tell me your story,” Isaac requested, turning back to his stand-in parents. “How did you all end up in Paragon?”

  Albert cleared his throat. “The same way as everyone else, I guess. We heard about the quarantine zone, and we came.”

  “But how did you end up on the dramas? Why would they take a little girl prisoner?”

  “Little girl – try baby.” Martha shook her head. “We snuck her in. They tried to turn her away, claiming she was sick.”

  “She was one at the time,” Albert added. “Our baby girl.”

  “I knew there was nothing wrong with her. And I was not about to let my only remaining child go,” Martha added fiercely. “Not after what happened to John.”

  “We lost our son during the war,” Al explained. “He never even met his sister.”

  “We snuck her in under a coat. But we weren’t able to keep Jo hidden for long, once we got inside,” Martha continued. “They took us captive, kept us in a cell for the early part of Josephine’s life. It was no way for a child to grow up.”

  Albert picked up where she left off. “When they started filming the dramas, we finally had an opportunity to give Josephine some semblance of normalcy, so we volunteered to act. We were terrible, though, and Jo was only a child still, she wouldn’t cooperate. That’s when they stitched us the first time. We did two or three dramas before the one with you.”

  “So wait,” Isaac interposed. “If you’re all actually a family, how did you manage to accept me as your son on the show?”

  “Wishful thinking?” Martha replied. “You’re about the same age as our Johnny would have been. I guess if you want it badly enough, you’re willing to see what they want you to see.”

  “And what about the name of the estate – Mason Manor? Your last name isn’t Mason, is it?”

  “No, it’s not,” Al verified. “We just took it at face value that that’s what the place was called – if you recall, our family history and our name never really came up in conversation.”

  “That’s true,” Isaac replied. “I guess that’s exactly what their selective perception is designed to do – gloss over the details.” For him it had all fit so perfectly, since his name really was Mason – he’d just assumed at the time, of course, that his family carried the same name. It was amazing how the producers had managed to obscure all these little details to keep them trapped in their game.

  “So what happens now?” Martha asked. “Are you staying with us for a while?”

  Isaac smiled. “Well, Alessa’s waiting for me, so I should get back to her. But I think Regina’s got a plan to get us all out of here and down to the base we found. I’m sure she’ll make the announcement tomorrow, I’m not really supposed to say.”

  His mother – faux-mother, he had to keep reminding himself – patted his hand. “That’s okay, dear.”

  Just then there was a knock at the door and Alicia came bursting through, her usually neat kinky hair slightly disheveled. She looked harried, a light sheen of sweat coating the smooth ebony skin of her forehead.

  “Oh, sorry – I saw the light on. I hope I’m not interrupting.” She noticed Isaac. “Isaac. I’d heard you were back. Welcome.”

  “Good to see you, too, Ali–”

  She cut him off before he could finish. “Martha, can you come with me?” She looked grim.

  “Oh, no. Yes, right away.” Martha jumped and grabbed her shoes, following Alicia out the door.

  Isaac stared after her, puzzled.

  “Martha used to be a nurse,” Albert offered by way of explanation. “She’s helping Alicia with some medical… stuff.”

  “What kind of ‘stuff?’” Isaac asked.

  Albert looked warily towards Josephine, but his frown released when he saw that Jo had fallen back asleep, still sprawled across Isaac’s lap. He spoke softly not to wake her. “I’m not supposed to say anything, but… have you ever noticed that there are no other children in Paragon?”

  Isaac had noticed, though he hadn’t really thought much about it. “I thought the young were particularly susceptible to the virus.”

  “They were. If any kids besides Jo survived the outbreak, they didn’t make it to the gates. Or, at least, didn’t make it through the gates. I think the youngest person I saw here once we arrived must have been 14, maybe 15. Anyway, it’s not like there haven’t been births.”

  That was true – Isaac thought he had seen one or two pregnant women around Paragon here and there.

  “But none of the deliveries have been successful. That we know of, anyway.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Listen. You can’t tell anyone this. I’m not even supposed to know, and if Regina found out Martha told me, she’d be livid. I mean that the babies keep… dying. They come out healthy and strong, and within days, they’re sick. The same symptoms as everyone else had. It’s – it’s horrible.”

  Isaac couldn’t imagine. He’d seen firsthand what the virus did to an adult – he couldn’t imagine a newborn child suffering the same fate. The thought was sickening.

  “So Alicia’s been trying to help. Some of the women who lost a child, once they joined the rebels, they started getting suspicious. They were afraid that Paragon had infected their babies with the virus on purpose, maybe to control the population or something. So when they got pregnant a second time, they stole away to Alicia for help instead of going to the med center. But Alicia hasn’t been able to do any better. I think this is the six or seventh failed birth she’s attended.”

  “Can’t they put the babies in a sterile neonatal unit or something, to keep them from getting infected?”

  “Martha said that’s the first thing they tried – the rebels stole a unit from the med center, apparently they were trying the same thing there – but it doesn’t seem to help. The mothers are healthy, but the babies are all sick.”

  “What about Ma –” he caught himself, “– Martha, and Alicia? What if they get sick?”

  “They’re takin
g precautions, don’t worry about them. Martha’s actually starting to think we all might be somehow immune. But Regina said they can’t get everyone’s hopes up until they know for sure – it would be too dangerous, if they were wrong. Anyway,” he shook his head dejectedly. “I’m more worried about the implications. I don’t know what’s going to happen if we can’t help these mothers. I don’t know… what will come next.” He looked at Jo with concern, clearly contemplating what kind of bleak future she might have – that any of them had – if they couldn’t create new life.

  Isaac was still a ways off from being ready to father a child of his own, but the thought of losing his hypothetical baby only days after birth – to the ravages of the virus, no less – sent chills down his spine. He couldn’t imagine anything worse.

  “Alicia and Martha will figure it out,” Isaac reassured Al, and himself. “They have to.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Albert concurred. “Anyway, that’s enough sorrow for one night. We should be celebrating. It’s really a wonder to see your face again, son.”

  Al didn’t seem to notice the slip, so Isaac didn’t say anything. It felt good to be someone’s son again, even for pretend. “Yours too,” he smiled.

  Al yawned. “Well, I guess we should get back to bed.” He scooped Jo off Isaac’s lap and laid her gently back on her own cot. “It sounds like you and Regina have an exciting day planned for us tomorrow.”

  30. LULL

  The wheels were in motion. Regina had initiated the exit plan, and each cog in the machine of the resistance was diligently grinding away.

  Scouts had been dispersed early that morning, and slowly word had spread to each pocket of the rebellion scattered across Paragon. By the end of the day, the order had been given: if you want to be extricated, meet at the old train depot an hour before dawn; bring only what you can carry; and do not speak a word of this to anyone.

  For their part, Isaac and Alessa had been given a solitary day of rest to prepare them for the trials ahead. Alessa was happy to fill Isaac in on Michael’s theories about her new “empath” abilities, and to use the downtime to finally meet Isaac’s family from the drama. She could see why he was so enamored with little Jo – she reminded Alessa of a younger Janie, just so full of life, nearly bursting at the seams with personality.