The New Agenda

by Simone Pond

  “Screw you!” Sarah’s voice echoes through the hallway.

  “You two okay?” Dru looks over.

  I silently plead with Sarah to stay quiet about what went down. We don’t need to rehash anything in front of Dru.

  “We’re fine. William just stepped on my foot with his clunky boot.”

  “Thank you,” I whisper to her, putting my hand on her shoulder.

  She pushes me away. “I’m only keeping quiet because I want out of this shithole as much as you do.”

  I don’t feel good about hurting Sarah. I never meant for that to happen, but I was so upset over my mother, I couldn’t think straight. I told her to leave me alone, but she kept pressing on. The whole thing needs to blow over, and fast. We can’t risk the mission because we couldn’t control ourselves.

  Zach enters the hallway, chomping on his gum. I have no idea where he’s getting all this gum. “Morning, team. Hope everyone’s ready to kick some elitist ass.” He says this every morning.

  We chug back the boost juice and Dru starts up the program.

  We’re in the abandoned Wells Fargo building on Wilshire, but there aren’t any explosions going off or missiles flying overhead. It’s quiet and tranquil. This can’t be right.

  “What are we doing here again?” I ask.

  “Sarah did some reprogramming,” explains Dru.

  I don’t feel good about this. I have a suspicion that Sarah might have reprogrammed the app to specifically target me.

  “How do we know this building’s even still standing?” I ask.

  “Doesn’t matter. We’re just doing drills,” says Zach.

  “Besides, it’s a prime location,” Dru adds.

  Sarah remains silent.

  The back of my neck prickles—this feels like a set-up. “What about the woods, I mean, the lab? We haven’t broken the access code yet.”

  Sarah smirks, shooting daggers with her eyes. “What’s wrong with you, William? You’re acting completely paranoid and weird.” She’s messing with me, getting me back for what happened yesterday.

  “I’m cool.” I walk over to the window to calm down.

  Griffith Observatory perches high on a hilltop in the distance. The white dome stands out like the Taj Mahal. The houses that used to sit on the surrounding hills are piles of rubble. Everything’s been burned to the ground. I loved hanging out at the observatory, doing skate tricks along the pathways until a security guard would reprimand me. Definitely the best place to watch the sun set. “Is the observatory still standing in the real world?” I ask.

  “Yeah. For now.” Dru walks over.

  We stand close together, looking at the damage my father has done to Los Angeles. The east side of the city grid is nothing but charbroiled streaks of black. “I hate my father for taking away everything,” I tell her.

  “You’ll make it right.” Dru kisses my cheek.

  “Probably don’t want to hang out in front of the windows too long,” Zach warns. “There are remote body heat detectors flying around.” He opens the 3D hologram of the building blueprints, studying various stairwells and fire exits.

  “Is all this necessary?” I ask. “What if we don’t even end up in one of these buildings?”

  “We need to know every detail. Make sure we know every exit opportunity from top to bottom. It’s tedious, but we need to exercise the possible scenarios.” He taps the roof. “We’ll start here and work our way down.”

  Out on the roof, the four of us crouch low, pressed against the wall. Sarah points out two doors on opposite sides. I have a sudden urge to have a few private moments with Dru. I feel guilty about what happened with Sarah and I want to make sure everything’s still okay.

  “We should split up,” I tell Zach.

  “No, we need to stay together,” says Sarah. So that’s why she reprogrammed the training, so I won’t have a chance to be with Dru alone.

  “Me and Dru will take that door, you guys take the other.” Before they can object, I grab Dru’s arm and run toward the door. I pull the handle, but it’s locked. I look to Sarah for help and she smiles. One of those body heat detectors zips overhead and hones in on us. Within seconds a helicopter whizzes toward the rooftop. Dru pulls a screwdriver out of her bag and tries to pry open the door, but it won’t budge. Using all my weight, I wedge it deeper into the crevice and push with everything until the lock disengages and the door opens.

  “We shouldn’t have split up!” Dru jumps down the stairs, three at a time.

  “We’re fine.” I follow behind, leaping down the steps.

  “Helicopters are already overhead and they’ll probably send in drones. We need to get to the lower floor. I just hope Zach and Sarah can get down in time.”

  “Wait, a second.”

  “Come on, William. This is just like any other drill.”

  “Are you okay? You’re not mad at me, or anything?”

  “Of course not. Just trying to make sure we don’t get killed.”

  She continues down the stairs. I flip over the side and drop down the middle, grabbing the railing to slow down between each flight. I do this until I’m at the bottom. Dru leaps down the last steps and joins me. We open a door to the garage and scan the lot for a car.

  “Over there,” I point to a silver two-door.

  She breaks the window and gets inside to figure out the wiring.

  “It’s not working. We need another car!” she yells.

  There aren’t many options, but I find a junky beater around the corner. The door’s unlocked and the keys are tucked in the sun visor. I peel out and drive over to Dru.

  “That’s the get-away car?”

  “It’s better than nothing.”

  We wait by the exit door for Zach and Sarah. She squeezes my hand and I want to kiss her, but we need to stay focused. There are helicopters firing at the building and explosions going off. Now is not the right time to make out.

  “Why are they taking so long?” She looks at her watch.

  “Should we go on without them?”

  “We can’t abandon them. Have a little faith, they’ll be down.”

  Faith is the last thing I have. We’ve got copters overhead, drones coming in, and a crappy getaway car. We’ll be lucky to make it out of the garage. I’m pissed at Sarah for reprogramming everything and making this harder than it has to be. She knows this is the only time Dru and I have together without the watchful eyes of the Subterranea.

  An explosion goes off toward the back of the building. I think it’s the Division of Internal Security Services coming to get us, but it’s Zach and Sarah running out of a cloud of smoke. They came down the elevator shaft and blew out the doors. I honk to get their attention—the horn sounds like a deflating balloon. I can’t help but laugh.

  “I’m glad you find this funny, idiot. This is your fault, making a dumb move like that. Almost got us killed,” Sarah yells, smacking the back of my head. “And this car sucks!” She smacks the back of my head again.

  Zach looks at me in the rearview mirror. “I’ve told you a hundred times—you can’t be reactionary. I know you want to make decisions, and trust me, I believe in you, but you can’t just act without thinking it through. Now we’ve got trackers on us.” He just said he believed in me.

  I try to play it cool. “I hear you, man. Sorry.”

  I drive toward the exit and the metal gate is down, trapping us inside the garage. Off to the side, a missile crashes into the building. Blocks of cement start crashing all around us. Sarah gets out of the car, runs to the gate and attaches her digi-pad to the access panel, the same way she opened my mother’s door. I have a flashback of the cabana. I feel anger heating up my insides. I squeeze the steering wheel until my knuckles burn—I need to stay focused. The gate lifts and Sarah jumps back in the car. I barrel down an alleyway in the old jalopy and turn down San Vicente, heading toward the ocean. The helicopters aren’t following us. I have a momentary reprieve, thinking I’ve lost them until I look in the re
arview mirror and see the glint of a missile coming straight toward us. “We gotta get out!”

  “Why?”

  “Incoming missile!”

  I slow down so they can roll out onto the street. After they’re out, I cram Dru’s bag on top of the gas pedal to keep the car speeding forward. I open my door and roll out, skidding across the street—just as the missile blows the car into a ball of flames.

  They’re running toward Whole Foods and I follow behind, limping from busting my knee on the pavement. Zach smashes the glass doors and we run inside the dark and empty store. The shelves have been ransacked. According to America 2.0 this is what it’s really like out there. When they cut off the food supply lines, people went ballistic and grabbed whatever they could. There’s not a single pack of gum remaining on the shelves. Everything is gone.

  “Nice work,” Zach says to me.

  “Yeah, nice work getting us into that mess.” Sarah pats my torn-open shoulder.

  “We still have to get to the lab.” Zach reminds everyone.

  “We can cut down Veteran and take the private roads behind the Hotel Bel Air. That’ll lead us into the woods behind my house. We’ll need another car.”

  There are plenty of cars left behind in the parking lot.

  “What do you say we class it up?” Dru points to a Mercedes.

  Dru drives us through the back roads toward the hotel. I know my injuries aren’t real, but my shoulder and knee are throbbing. My knee looks pretty bad. I stare out the window to distract myself. Most of the mansions have been torched. At first they were giving the wealthier folks more time to live, but they were only prolonging the inevitable. Nobody will be spared—unless they’re in the special elite club.

  We pull up to the abandoned hotel and park in the back. Zach leads us across the grass toward the woods. I walk behind everyone so I can fake an ankle roll to get a few minutes alone with Dru. Sarah’s plans to thwart mine have failed.

  “Oh, man,” I fall to the ground, wincing.

  “Your ankle, again?” Sarah rolls her eyes. “Might be time for some sturdier boots, or a more original thought.”

  “Why are you even doing this mission?”

  “I have my reasons,” she says.

  “Fix him up, Dru. We’ll be waiting up ahead.” Zach and Sarah move on.

  Dru comes over to help me. “You okay?”

  “I’m not really hurt.”

  “You’re so bad.” Dru flirts and sits down next to me. The sunlight starts doing that crazy thing again and catches the yellow flecks in her green eyes. I’m mesmerized for a few moments.

  “I have a strong urge to kiss you.”

  “We’ll have all the time in the world to kiss when this mission is over.”

  “I know, but I just wanted to make sure we’re good.”

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t we be?”

  “Just making sure.” I’m relieved Sarah hasn’t poisoned the waters.

  “I’d love to spend the rest of the day under this tree with you, but we should go.” She stands and holds out her hand to lift me up. I lean down and kiss her dirt-stained cheek. Man, I dig this girl. We run to catch up to Zach and Sarah.

  “How’s the ankle?” Sarah asks with a bite.

  “Great!” I’m beaming. Sarah’s eyes harden. For her sake I tone it down. “It’s good.”

  “We’re lost.” Zach studies his map.

  “This app isn’t true to real life. These woods don’t change,” I say.

  “I programmed it to change. You know, for a challenge.” Sarah cocks her head.

  “You can program it however you want, I’ll always find my way home. Come on, this way.” I push through branches and find a path that leads to the infamous gray wall.

  “I think I figured out how to break the lab’s access codes,” says Sarah. She’s resourceful when she’s upset.

  “You and William go ahead. We’ll follow in five,” says Zach.

  I nod with pride; Zach believes in me.

  Sarah and I edge our way along the trees. We reach the shortest pathway to the back entrance. She instructs her digi-pad to block the cameras. We have thirty seconds to get to the door. When we get there, she uses her digi-pad to unlock the door and we step inside. This isn’t our first time inside the house, so we’re not celebrating just yet. We still have to get inside the lab.

  “Down this way,” I point to the back stairs that lead down to my father’s lab. “Remember there are cameras all along the hallway.”

  “I’ve got it covered. At least for thirty-second intervals. I’ll have to break the entry code fast.”

  “If anyone can do it, you can.”

  “Thanks.” She smiles like she actually means it this time.

  Once the cameras are blocked, we sprint down the hallway to the giant metal door. The same door I used to sit in front of when I was a kid, waiting for my father to finish his work. We’ve never been this close to unlocking the door. She uses the digi-pad to enter in a string of codes. My heartbeat thumps in my ears. I take deep breaths to stay calm. I give her a hand signal counting down the seconds before the camera is back online. Ten, nine, eight, seven… and the door clicks open. I refrain from cheering and nod to move in.

  We enter the lab. I haven’t been down here in years. Zach and Dru must have captured this data before they left for the Subterranea. It looks a lot different from the last time I was here—tons of new technology. There are rows and rows of tables, lab equipment, refrigerators and research stations, and giant servers take up an entire wall. Along the side are individual rooms with medical equipment and computer monitors.

  “William? What are you doing here?” a voice comes from behind us.

  I turn around, in what feels like slow motion. It’s my father in the same black lab coat he always wore. I want to say something, but my throat is tight. I’ve been training for this moment for nine months, but now that I’m here I feel like a scared little boy.

  “Father…”

  He stands still, waiting for me to make a move. It’s like a game of chess and one wrong move will give me an electric shock. Sarah cocks her gun and aims at his head. I almost forgot we’re here to take him down. I reach for my gun and fumble, dropping it on the floor. I want to go to pick it up, but my feet are like cement. He kicks the gun away.

  “I was wondering when you’d come back, son,” he says, smiling.

  “Don’t listen to him, William,” says Sarah.

  “You were waiting for me?”

  “Of course, son. I had to ensure you could pass the test.”

  “Test?”

  “You were sent to the Subterranea to overcome your fears and insecurities. You’ve proven you’re the type of man I want on my team.”

  “He’s lying. Don’t fall for it.” Sarah steps in closer, keeping the barrel aimed.

  Maybe everything has been a test? One long, grueling test. He just wanted to help me grow into a man. After all, he’s my father and I’m his son. I know this is just a simulation, but it feels so real. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted—for him to believe in me. I want to feel him holding me in his arms, even if it’s for one pretend moment.

  “William, don’t.” Sarah reaches out to stop me.

  “William’s with me, now,” he says. “Where he belongs.”

  This is all I’ve ever wanted to hear him say. I go to him with open arms…

  The program ends and I’m standing in the middle of the empty holodome stretching out my arms. Zach, Dru and Sarah stare at me with their mouths hanging open—I’ve betrayed them.

  “I’m sorry, guys. I couldn’t stop myself. I’ve wanted to hear him say that my whole life.” I look down at the ground.

  Dru comes over. “I’m sure it was confusing, but that’s part of the program. Sometimes we hear what we want to hear instead of what we need to hear.”

  “But it was so real.”

  “You need to be prepared for any scenario, and this one could easily happen,” says Dr
u. “Yes, he’s your father, but you have to stay focused. There’s much more at stake. He has to be stopped, and we need to know that you’ll be on our side.” She takes my hand and I feel a warmth pour over my body.

  I look up at Dru. “I’m with you guys. I know he doesn’t want me.”

  Zach shakes my other hand, crushing it in his tight grip. “But we do. We want you, Morray.”

  My stomach drops. “Did you just call me Morray?”

  “Yeah, you’re no longer a kid. You’re a man now. Plus, it’ll be a good reminder of our mission.” Zach walks toward the exit. “We leave one week from today. We’ll meet here at the regular time and I’ll explain the rest then.”

  I’ve been waiting for this part of the journey for a long time—escaping from this underground prison and back out into the world. Training to get to this point has been painstaking. Before today I never thought too much about the reality of executing my father. I will help them get into the lab, but I know I cannot be the one to complete the final part of the mission. Even if killing him is the right thing to do.

  Ava

  A baby cries. The muffled wailing resonates from somewhere faraway, stirring her back into consciousness. Where is it coming from? It can’t be inside the bunker—there aren’t any babies in the Subterranea. It gets louder. Images of a child come into focus: an infant with soft brown curls and light green eyes. That’s my baby. I need to get to my baby. Bright flashes of light and waves of electricity jolt through every cell as she resurfaces.

  “Breathe!” someone shouts from above.

  Ava opens her eyes to find Joseph standing over her. In his arms, he holds a small bundle wrapped up in a blanket. My baby. Relief settles through Ava. The room comes into focus and her breathing returns to normal. “How long have I been under?” she asks.

  “Ten hours,” Joseph says, helping her sit up.

  He releases the straps and disconnects her right index finger from the mainframe. “You overworked yourself,” he says.