by Judd Vowell
“How’s that?” Daniel asked.
Jacob had prepared himself for the meeting and for what piece of knowledge he could disclose to Daniel to impress him. He had a hunch about Salvador. The real Salvador he had uncovered was one who would take other people’s ideas and transform them for his own sinister purpose. Jacob was guessing about the information he had decided to give to Daniel, but the guess was at least highly educated.
“He’s got eyes in the sky,” Jacob said. “He’s been watching us for weeks, unknown to anyone on the ground. If I were a betting man, I’d say there’s a drone overhead right now.”
Daniel took a moment to absorb what Jacob had said. It changed everything. “Of course,” he finally said. “Military drones. Why didn’t we think of that already?”
“Don’t knock yourself, Dan. You’ve had plenty to think about. I only know because I’m the one who thought of it. We started test-piloting the drones months ago. By now, they’ve got to be running flights all the time. It’s the only way Salvador would have it.”
Daniel leaned up in his chair and put his hands on the desk in front of him. “I want you in,” he said. “I want you to be a part of our strategy team. You were right. What you know is too important. What you know might be our only chance.”
Jacob smiled in his self-assured way. “Shit, Dan. I thought you’d never ask.”
“It’s Daniel, Marsh. And don’t get cocky, ok? You’ve still got to convince the rest of us that you’re on the up-and-up. I suppose we’ll be holding that rally after all. You ready to say you’re sorry?”
“Guess I’ll have to be, huh?”
Daniel reached his hand across the table to shake Jacob’s. “Guess so, Marsh. Welcome aboard. No hard feelings?”
Jacob put his hand in Daniel’s. They both gripped hard. “Nah,” he said. “Just remember that I’m the one who’s gonna save your ass.”
He stood and left the room quickly, hurrying to begin work on the apology speech he would deliver to the Lefty rebellion.
16.
T he smoldering remnants of Camp Overlord had long extinguished themselves by the time Salvador and Simone took Quinn to visit the site, but the morbid destruction of war was still evident, with the stiffened bodies of dead soldiers littered across the grounds of the battlefield. As the three of them explored the abandoned camp, Quinn started to notice that all of the dead men and women were rebels. He didn’t see a single ANTI- casualty.
“Just rebel bodies?” he commented, holding his shirt-sleeve over his nose and mouth to block the stench of mass decomposition.
“That’s right,” Salvador said. “I had our soldiers removed and buried. The rebels I left. As a warning.” Quinn caught Simone smiling at the statement.
The walls and roof of the former prison were heavily damaged from the battle’s violence. The concrete and brick of the structure was broken in most places, leaving abnormal holes and jagged gashes. Two watchtowers still stood on the grounds, and Quinn glimpsed a rebel’s torso hanging over the side of one, not yet rotted enough to break from its bottom half and fall. The other towers had collapsed and burst apart as they impacted the ground. Quinn could see the unnaturally flattened bodies of soldiers who had been crushed underneath them.
Salvador led them around the main building, pointing out where they had found the Lefty computers. “Almost all of their computers were destroyed in the battle,” he explained. “But we’ve gleaned some information from what we salvaged. Not much, but some.”
“Like what?” Quinn asked. “You haven’t mentioned any of this to me.”
“Because it doesn’t concern you. At least, not yet. Now c’mon, there’s one more thing I want you to see here.”
They followed Salvador to a broken wall standing strangely by itself. Everything around it had been transformed into rubble and debris. As they got closer, Quinn saw that something had been written in large lettering on it. Then, the letters became clearer and formed two words, which held no meaning to him at first. But as he shaped the words silently with his mouth, a series of memories flooded into his brain.
“We found this when we came to collect our men,” Salvador said. “‘Triumphs Forever’ – does that mean anything to you?”
Quinn froze at the question. Of course it meant something. He had heard it many times at his farm, when Meg’s family was visiting. It was some stupid slogan that Gordon had created. Whenever Quinn’s grandchildren and Gordon would win a board game together or play basketball in the driveway, they would say it. He had secretly resented it, not understanding the closeness that Gordon felt with his kids. But now it was written as some battle cry of sorts. Quinn was confounded.
“Quinn?” Simone asked, snapping her fingers in front of his unflinching gaze. “You there?”
“Yes, of course,” Quinn said. “Sorry, I was thinking about something else for a moment. What did you say?”
“This quote here,” Salvador said, motioning to the wall. “Mean anything to you? Ring any bells?”
“Well, certainly not,” Quinn said as convincingly as he could. “Must be some rebel nonsense. I wouldn’t have any idea.”
“I didn’t think you would,” Salvador said. “But I wanted to make sure. Can’t afford to miss a single clue.”
“I still don’t understand what you’re trying to decipher, Salvador,” Simone said. “There’s no mystery here. These rebels want us dead, clear and simple. So let’s destroy them. The sooner the better.”
“It’s motivation, Simone,” Salvador said. “Look at what we’ve seen from them so far. Organization on a grand scale, with defined purpose. And it’s all come together so quickly. I pride myself on knowing people. And motivation is what propels people through life. I knew there would be rebellion against our takeover, but not this quickly, and not on this level. I need to know how they're doing it, so that I’ll see the next one coming. Do you understand that?”
“I suppose,” Simone answered.
“Good, because I’m sending you west, to Sector 5. I want you to study the base in Texas. It’s growing faster than the others. Watch and wait.”
“Whatever you say, Salvador,” she said. “I’m sick of this hellhole anyway.”
“I thought you might be,” Salvador said. “As for you, Quinn, you’ll be coming to Philadelphia with me. I’ve got to get a handle on the rebels there, and I’ll need your help.”
“But what about Kansas City?” Quinn asked. “Shouldn’t someone be focused on the base there? That’s their headquarters.”
“I’ve got something in mind for Kansas City,” Salvador said.
The simple statement sounded ominous to Quinn, but there was nothing he could say. He would have to come up with a plan from Philadelphia if he wanted to help Jessica. And after seeing the deserted rebel camp, he couldn’t avoid thinking that Henry and Gordon could be involved, too. Why else would the rebels be using their family motto?
17.
T he makeshift stage for Jessica’s rally was built atop the tallest portion of the replica urban landscape inside the Kansas City football stadium. The Camp Forager Leftys filled the open spaces on the field and the lower-level seats closest to the stage. The stadium’s PA system, used for training each day, was connected to a single microphone that each speaker held as they spoke. The speeches were also transmitted to radios in the Effort’s other camps across the country, where hundreds more in each had gathered to listen. It would prove to be a defining moment in the rebellion’s history.
McKay acted as emcee of the event. His natural leadership shone through as he roused the crowd. “Welcome, everyone, to something we’ve never done before. To a communion, if you will. You see, we’ve been afraid to do anything like this. I’ll be the first to admit it. We’ve been afraid to speak without secrecy, to communicate without code. All because we’ve been afraid that someone might hear us. That ANTI- is listening.”
The crowd was hushed, the fear that McKay spoke of too real.
“Today
, we cast that fear aside. We, in fact, welcome the ears of ANTI-. We will not be silent right now. We cannot afford to be. For once, let them hear you. Let ANTI- know that we are here.”
The cheers in each camp were spontaneous and aggressive. McKay let the Leftys yell and clap for a full minute before he continued.
“Our effort has already had many heroes. In a way, every one of you is a hero, just for coming this far. But there are some who have been brave beyond expectation. Two of those are here with me today. And I think you will appreciate their stories. Because ours is a fight that will not live or die with each battle and each death. This fight will take sacrifice from all of you. Are you ready for that? Are you willing to die if it means saving the world?”
The crowds erupted again in applause and whistles and delightful screams.
“That’s what I thought,” McKay said. “Now, let me introduce our first speaker of the day.” He motioned for Jacob to come forward. “I must say, this man has shown more courage than I would have ever predicted, especially in standing before you today. We’ve got a lot we can learn from him, if we’ll take the time to understand him. Mr. Jacob Marsh.”
McKay handed the microphone to Jacob while the crowd remained relatively quiet. He saw Archer and Laz standing at the front of the audience with Anna. They each gave him a thumbs-up, but the gathered crowd remained defiantly quiet. It was going to take a lot of work to win the Leftys’ praise and acceptance.
“Thank you, McKay,” he said. “And thank you, everyone, for allowing me to speak today. And for allowing me into your world.”
He took a deep breath, then thought of the first line he had written. Once he started, he knew the rest would flow out of him with ease.
“I’m Jacob Marsh, and I tried to kill you all.” He paused to let the jab register with the crowd. He wanted them to be stunned into listening. “I built the computer virus that led to the Great Dark. I hacked into your lives and your existence, and I tried to destroy you.” Another pause. He could see a specific rage on the faces in the crowd closest to him. “Got ‘em,” he thought to himself. “But what I didn’t understand until a few weeks ago, was just how resilient you are. I never imagined how strong you could be. I thought you would curl up in a corner and die, because that’s what I would have done. But you didn’t. You surprised me. And even better than that, you surprised Salvador Sebastian.”
A few Leftys began clapping. Someone in the crowd yelled out, “Hell yeah, we did!” And that inspired even more applause.
“I met Anna before she met me,” Jacob continued. “She was captured, along with Jess and her brother, trying to do the impossible. I watched her interrogations, and I watched her stand strong in the face of torture and probable death. And I started to realize then what we had done: we stirred a passion in people that had virtually disappeared before the darkness. Anna fought back without fear, as did Jess. When I saw that, my belief in ANTI- began to fade.”
Jacob paused again, but this time unintentionally. As he thought back to the moments that led to his treason, his emotions overtook him. He looked into the crowd and saw that sympathy had begun to replace rage on their faces. It returned his focus.
“I don’t know if I’m a good person. I’d like to think that I could be. I do know this: I helped Anna and Jess escape because it was the right thing to do. I’ve done some things that can’t be reversed. That’s what I have to live with forever. But I ask for your forgiveness today. I don’t even know if I deserve it." He paused one last time, his regrets fully registering inside him. "There's one promise I will make: I’ll help you fight ANTI-. Just like I helped Jess. That’s a promise I can make right here and now, if you’ll let me. Thank you.”
A light applause began to his right, then spread. The noise grew as he turned and handed the microphone back to McKay, who kept the crowd cheering.
“Damn right, Jacob,” McKay said loudly into the microphone. “I think we could use all the help we can get.” The applause continued to build. “And I want to say one thing right here in front of these people: I forgive you, son. You’re alright in my book.” He smiled big and shook Jacob’s hand hard. The crowd grew even louder at Jacob’s exoneration. McKay put the microphone to his side and said quietly in Jacob’s ear, “People love second chances, Marsh. Don’t screw this up.”
McKay turned back to the excited crowd and spoke into the microphone again. “Ok, everyone. Let’s calm down. We’ve still got another speaker.” The applause died down gradually. “This young woman has got the most heart I think I’ve ever seen. And she can shoot just about as good as anybody. She’s a survivor. You know her simply as Jess.”
The crowd erupted in yells and cheers. McKay handed the microphone to Jessica and said, “They’re all yours.”
She walked to the edge of the stage and scanned the gathered Leftys before she started speaking. She realized that the rally had been a good idea for her own morale, too. She suddenly felt proud to be one of them.
“I’m here today to tell a story,” she began, pacing across the front of the stage as she spoke to keep her nerves at bay. “The story is mine, but it could just as easily be any of yours. I started my journey into your rebellion with my father and brother. We didn’t intend to join you. We didn’t even know you existed. Instead, we were on a journey to save my mother, who was dying from cancer. The only chance we had to save her was going inside the Nashville grid. A suicide mission, right? Well, maybe. But we didn’t care. That’s how important she was to us.”
She put the microphone to her side and stopped pacing. The image of her mother’s face came into her mind, and she realized she was referring to her in the past tense. The crowd was silent, hanging on her words. Someone yelled, “You got this, Jess!” It shook her from the distraction of her maybe-dead mother. She continued, both speaking and pacing.
“Before we made it to the grid, we were pulled into Camp Overlord. And that’s when everything changed. I’m here in front of you today with a dead father, a missing brother, and a mother who may have died before any of us could get back to her. And that makes me sadder than I ever imagined was possible.”
She paused and wiped a tear from her eye before it could fall down her cheek. The speech was much harder to give than she had thought it would be. She summoned a strength to suppress her sadness and speak again, this time at the edge of the stage facing the Forager Leftys.
“I didn’t think life was much worth living anymore when I got here. Because I thought, when I first came to Camp Forager, that my family was gone from me forever. But that’s not entirely true. I have a new family now. I have brothers and sisters by choice. You are my family now, and I am yours.”
She saw Anna standing below her, crying. Then she surveyed the crowd closest to her. Some Leftys were crying like Anna. Others were smiling with camaraderie. Everyone was waiting to see what she would say next.
“When we escaped the Nashville grid, and we stopped at the deserted Camp Overlord, we found something that one of you had spray-painted on a wall before you left. It was a two-word nickname my father had given to our family many, many years ago, in happier times. He had started using it more and more after the darkness came, to remind us of who we were in the face of such desperation. It was personal, and it was just for us. So when I first saw it on that wall that was barely standing, it hurt me. I was selfish with it. I felt like it had been stolen from us. But now I understand why you wrote it, and I want to give it to all of you, my new family, as a reminder of who we can be. Who we must be. So take it, and say it, but when you do, know where it came from. And say it with belief. Triumphs Forever.”
The Leftys exploded with applause as Jessica dropped the microphone to the ground. Then she heard the faint beginnings of a chant, coming from somewhere in the back of the crowd on the field. It spread rapidly from person to person until the entire stadium was saying it in unison.
“TRI-UMPHS! TRI-UMPHS! TRI-UMPHS!”
Without thinking about it t
oo much, Jessica made part of the shape she had seen spray-painted above the family nickname with her hands. She formed the sign for infinity and placed it over her chest, with her elbows out and her head held high.
Just one day later, Camp Forager would be gone, decimated by a surprise ANTI- attack. And the legend that Jessica was becoming would grow.
18.
S alvador played the recording of the rebels’ rally for Quinn not long after they arrived in Philadelphia. Every rebel transmission that ANTI- had recorded so far had been full of gibberish, code that specialized ANTs worked to decipher. This was the most brazen statement of rebellion they had heard so far, clear and direct and pointed. The Leftys were gaining confidence.
“We picked this up earlier today,” Salvador told Quinn. “Three people speaking, at an organized rally. One of the speakers we can only assume is the head of the Kansas City base, from where this transmission originated. His name is McKay. The other two…well, let’s just say that we know them very well. Especially their first guest of honor.”
He started the recording, then watched Quinn as he listened. When McKay introduced Jacob, Quinn turned to Salvador in astonishment. Then he listened intently to Jacob’s speech, hearing how he won the crowd over.
“Unbelievable,” Quinn said after Jacob’s portion of the transmission was over.
“It really is,” Salvador agreed.
Then McKay began to describe the next speaker, and somehow Quinn knew who it would be before her name was even said. He tried to react without revealing his true relationship with her.
“The girl who escaped, right?” he asked Salvador.
