CYPHER: A Dystopian Novel

by Barbara Winkes

  “You must be Ms. Moore. I’m Jean Davidson. Teresa, say hi to Ms. Moore.”

  Ami flinched. Lily looked at Jean and, with a hesitant smile, back to her. Ami kneeled in front of her, her vision blurring. It didn’t matter what anyone was thinking. She didn’t care what the obstacles were. This was her daughter.

  “Hi, Teresa,” she said. The name would be the only concession she’d be willing to make. “I’m Ami. I’m—”

  “I’m sorry, Ami,” Cara said. “There’s no time for this. Our little group is complete, thanks to Chief Cervantes bringing you here, so we need to get moving.”

  “No way. You all need to stay here until we can get backup,” Katlena protested.

  “Just in case you haven’t noticed, Chief, we are the backup.” Cara gave her a wry smile. “I’m sorry to interfere with your personal agenda here, but my job is to bring hostages home safely. Jean, Ami and the girl will come with me. Sofia may choose, but I believe she’s made up her mind already. You’re welcome to join us, Chief. No one will see it as cowardice. Staying here could be suicide, especially for you.”

  “Whose side are you on anyway?” Katlena asked, frustrated.

  Ami cringed even though she had only half followed the exchange, her attention focused on Lily. She wanted to hold her. She was afraid to scare her. Meanwhile, Mrs. Davidson was watching the proceedings carefully.

  “What about Jenkins? Is he for real at least?”

  “Brad had nothing to do with the murders,” Jean Davidson said, the emotion in her voice revealing. “One of ours is going to get him out too. You must know that Drago didn’t just side with the militant chapter. He created it. He was preparing for a scenario like this, so he could come out as the hero who brought the murderers to justice and could also control the City inside out. His own staff, and the cyphers. The people outside have no idea what’s going on behind closed doors. He was going to control the media too.”

  “People believe what is fed to them,” Cara concluded. “Drago knows he can’t get all this past the Committee, but he’s trying to get members on his side, with bribes and threats. Actually, Chief, it would be better if you came with us. We need you once this chaos is sorted out.”

  “I’m so glad you think I’m still of use for you, but those are my colleagues out there. I can’t let them down.”

  “It’s decided then. I’ll get these ladies to safety meanwhile.”

  Ami had known from the moment she entered the room that it would come to this, and she was at a loss. Katlena couldn’t stay behind by herself. They were after her. If Ami stayed with her like she promised…

  “You must go,” Katlena said softly. “I’m asking you to.”

  “No! We can wait here, like you said, it’s much safer to lay low.”

  “Not an option,” Cara interrupted her. “We don’t have any more time. Good luck, Chief.”

  Katlena touched Ami’s hand briefly before she slipped out into the hallway.

  “Okay. Let’s get moving.”

  “Cara, you can’t do this! Leave if you want, but Lily and I are not going anywhere!”

  Ami broke off, realizing that Lily had started to cry.

  Chapter Seventeen

  She was not dead. On a day like this, when she’d been beaten and shot at, Katlena was aware this fact bordered on a miracle. She couldn’t bring herself to feel all that grateful. Drago’s coup had cost six lives, and almost a dozen co-workers had been injured. In the grand scheme of things, it was probably a sign that he didn’t have as much support in the IdA as he’d expected.

  She’d been able to get hold of the Committee. Trenton and Rivera had already sent more backup, which had been a matter of minutes. They still supported her. A meeting had been called in for midnight. A coffee had miraculously appeared on her desk. Katlena couldn’t help the feeling that stability, for the City and the people in it, including herself, was a long time coming.

  After this renewed attack, she needed to make sure her own standing was clear. Hopefully, before sunrise, they would be able to prove Jean Davidson’s allegations. Under current law, Katlena would still have to take her and Rivera in, but she guessed no one would mind if she didn’t before those laws were changed anyway.

  She was glad that Ami and her daughter, whatever obstacles lay ahead of them, had made it out safely before the shooting started again. With the connection of Trenton and Rivera, they would find each other.

  It wouldn’t be easy.

  Her head was still spinning. Katlena couldn’t even start to think of the fate she might have evaded today. The same fate that Ami had lived for five years, only Drago would have probably made sure that she’d never get out again.

  Today’s events had shown what he was capable of. They might have won the IdA back, but it would still take some time to create circumstances under which all citizens of the City could live in safety and peace. They still had a long way to go, and with Drago attacking the IdA this brazenly, Katlena hoped she hadn’t sent Noelle and the other inspector straight into a fatal situation.

  “Chief Cervantes. Please excuse me when I say you look worse for wear.”

  Maryann Trenton had arrived, accompanied by a nervous IdA officer. Sure, she was Committee and everyone knew it, but the people who were on guard at the moment were a little nervous. They certainly had reason.

  “Mrs. Trenton. No thank you for reminding me.”

  “I’m sorry.” She smiled. “We have to thank you though. There’s no way of knowing what would have happened if Drago had taken over. You did something very brave.”

  “It’s the job that’s expected of me. I can’t very well expect people to accept me as chief when I’m the first to run away.”

  “True,” Maryann Trenton ascertained. “Paul said to tell you he can’t be here tonight, but he asked me to bring you some files. Please know that you have the full support of the Committee, but he’s working on helping some refugees at the moment.”

  “Refugees?” Katlena leaned back in her chair, trying to process what the other woman had said. “I admit that there have been some safety issues, and certainly a lot of people are unhappy about how Drago handled the cypher program. I wasn’t under the impression that people are fleeing the City.”

  “It’s all in here,” Maryann said, indicating the case files she’d brought with her. “The people who attacked the IdA today, those were only some of Drago’s most loyal.”

  Katlena leaned forward, covering her face with her hands with a sigh. “They gonna try to break him out of prison, is that what you’re saying?”

  “Maybe. You need to be on high alert. They pretend to be rebels, but instead they are—”

  “His very own militia. Great. You know, I thought I could change some things around here to improve people’s lives, but I’m afraid those have to wait. The imperative is not to have more people getting killed.”

  Maryann nodded. “Exactly. They have taken a special interest in several people. Ms. Moore is one of them. Because she filed the lawsuit against Drago, that is one thing… but she caught his interest long ago because of the sealed addendum of her cypher file.”

  The feeling of longing was painful. Katlena was wondering if she’d made the right decision letting Ami go. At the moment, it seemed unrealistic that they could ever be together.

  “Why does she have a sealed addendum?”

  Maryann Trenton looked uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, Chief, I’m not at liberty to tell you.”

  “That’s bullshit! You know I’m used to getting these excuses from Drago, because he wanted to keep those who worked under him, close, but not powerful enough to be a threat. Are you and Paul working the same way?”

  “No. We’re protecting Ms. Moore, and we’re protecting you. If the worst case scenario happens, you won’t know anything revealing.”

  Katlena thought wryly that in the scenario Maryann was talking about, it wouldn’t save her life. It would save Ami’s though. That was an incentive. Maybe Maryann
was right after all.

  “They know better than to touch anyone who’s in Committee. You, however…”

  “I’m pretty high on Drago’s shit list. Got it. Although I believe he has the fantasy of turning me into a cypher rather than executing me.” She winced at her own choice of words. “Either way, it’s something I’d like to avoid.”

  “I can imagine. We don’t want to put you in danger. We don’t want to put anyone in danger, but the IdA needs a leader. We’ve followed your work for some time, and you’ve proven to be the best choice.”

  “You’ve had Ami spy on me.”

  “We’ve had her spy on several people when we needed to know if they were trustworthy,” Maryann admitted. “At the same time, we could see that she was loyal. Ami thought she was assigned to cases only related to cypher issues.”

  “So you played her too,” Katlena concluded.

  “We had a mutual agreement. If she worked for us, we’d make sure she’d be reunited with her daughter eventually.”

  “You kept her hanging on, because you made her believe you knew were Lily was. Or did you know all along? That’s even crueler.” It was probably not the right tone to use with a Committee member. Katlena didn’t care much. She was tired and cranky, and even more irritated since she was supposed to run on so little information, surprises coming up every other minute.

  “Chief Cervantes. Drago and his army, the cypher program, all of this was a bubble that’s been about to burst for years. We’ve been preparing for this moment, but that took time. We didn’t want to get her hopes up too high. A peaceful revolution needs to take place at the right time, in the right context.”

  “Well, it’s not very peaceful now.”

  “Where were you born, Katlena?”

  The question, out of the blue, made her sit up straight. “You know that.”

  “Right. Once upon a time, like your parents, so many people thought the City would be a safer, better place to live. Maybe it was, at some point. It worked out for you, obviously. You made a career, but people like Drago and others before him worked the City into the ground, with their greed and corruption. This is our last chance. We can turn it around, or leave it to a bunch of crazy, violent people. I’m sorry for Ms. Moore, but the truth is, she agreed to have the Davidsons raise her child. The cypher program has a lot of flaws, but there was no way to overturn it as long as Drago was the chief, and we hadn’t uncovered more of his allies.”

  “It all seemed so simple at some point,” Katlena said, not trying to hide the sarcasm.

  “The truth is never simple.”

  “Ami—is she okay? I mean right now.” If she was revealing a terrible vulnerability in her question, Katlena didn’t care. She needed to be sure, in order to get through this night, and another day after that.

  “She’s hanging in there. She’s in a safe place, with her daughter. Of course, Teresa can’t know yet. They will break it to her slowly.”

  “Then what?”

  “Of course, Teresa will remain with the Davidsons, and visitation rights will be granted. What did you think?”

  Maryann turned around as the other Committee members arrived. There was no time for an answer.

  * * * *

  Ami couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t like the bed was so uncomfortable. The mattress in the cypher unit had made for many more sleepless nights.

  The safe house was quiet and, well, protected, but she couldn’t calm down to save her life. Maybe it had to do with Lily sleeping in the other room with Jean Davidson. Or the fact that she knew Katlena wasn’t safe and wouldn’t be for some time to come.

  Life hadn’t been too great in the City before she’d filed her complaint, but it had been simple. She had her worries and fears, but basically she could rely on all her days being the same. Grey. It wasn’t like she missed it, the work hours at Shelton’s, her life as a number.

  She had brought some worries and fears with her through the tunnels that had led them out of the City to this place. She hadn’t been able to tell Lily the truth yet. Teresa. Truth be told, she was terrified of what would happen, not tomorrow or in a few days, but when Lily was old enough to understand the facts. The girl was cute and smart and had obviously benefited from a loving family, never mind the fact that Jean Davidson had left her husband to live with her younger lover. She and Brad Jenkins had tried their best to keep Lily safe. They cared about her. Could she take Lily away from them? Even if she could lawfully do it, weren’t the facts just the same as they had been five years ago? Katlena made Ami her personal assistant, but that would only work out as long as the IdA existed. She felt dizzy contemplating these things. Of course the Davidsons broke existing City law. If all those changes came to pass, they might claim they hadn’t done anything wrong. Where did that leave her?

  She felt like something had to be wrong with her. All those years, she’d been waiting and longing, despairing when it seemed like she’d never get there. In the present…There had been no magical moment. Lily didn’t know her from any other friendly adult. Ami loved her and wanted to do what was best for her, but underneath, her relief was tainted with disappointment about the time lost, those moments she had missed and would never be able to get back.

  Ami got up from the bed. She’d never undressed in the first place. Maybe a glass of water, walking around a bit, would help.

  It came as no surprise when she found Cara in the kitchen. Ami wasn’t sure if she was glad about the company. Too much had changed between them.

  “Ah, isn’t it good to be out of this stupid black-and-white stuff?” Cara greeted her.

  “Well, you always had the prospect of getting out. I’ve had somebody put $20,000 on the line for me.” Ami pulled back a chair and sat. “I’m sorry. I’m sure pretending wasn’t a lot of fun either.”

  “It was probably less of a pretense than you think,” Cara said. “When you’re undercover, you have to go all the way.”

  “What happened? I mean all those years ago, with your husband, was that a cover story too?”

  “I wish,” Cara said wryly. “I was stupid enough, a long time ago, to have an affair. When I went back to my husband, the other guy wasn’t so happy about it, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “He made me a cypher, because he could.”

  Ami slapped her palm against her mouth.

  “Yes, Drago. I went from being a successful therapist to a no one in a matter of days. I might have gone crazy for real, if I hadn’t been offered the job. Then you came along.”

  “I guess I wasn’t much of a help most of the time.” Ami sighed, realizing how naïve she had been, how her own carelessness at times might have interfered with Cara’s mission.

  “It was throwing us off a little when you and the chief started dating, that’s for sure. We needed both of you. We still do, but a romantic relationship was likely to complicate things.”

  “Tell me about it.” Ami got up to finally get herself that glass of water she’d come for. She wished she could have something stronger. “Wait a minute, so it was your plan to break us up in order to make things less complicated?”

  Cara held her gaze. “Not necessarily, but at the moment it’s the best solution. We need her to do her best to clean things up over there, and we need you in a safe place.”

  “Why? What the hell is so special about me?”

  “You will know in time. I promise.” Paul Trenton stood in the doorway. “I see the insomnia is contagious. Anyone care for a midnight snack?”

  “Meeting still going on?” Cara wanted to know.

  “It was, the last time I checked with Maryann. It looks good on the inside at least. They set some ground rules and set up an investigation, so Drago’s remaining cells will be found and exposed as soon as possible.”

  “How is Katlena?”

  “Doing fine,” he assured her. “I’ll work on a secure line tomorrow.”

  Ami thought about Katlena’s
reservations to reveal their relationship. Maybe, with the new IdA, everything would be better, and they wouldn’t have to hide. At some point.

  “When can I leave here?” she asked.

  Trenton seemed to be taken aback by that question.

  “It’s going to take awhile to restore safety for all, let alone change laws. Is there anything you are missing?”

  Oh, how about a life where I can have a job and be with my daughter? She didn’t want to sound ungrateful.

  “It’s fine,” she said tersely. “Why didn’t you move Lily into my room though? Is there any doubt that she’s mine?”

  “No, there isn’t. She’s going to need time.”

  “I’m aware of that.”

  “Good. You may talk to her, but be careful, and involve her foster parents when that happens. It’s the best solution for everyone.”

  “You don’t have to tell me.” She was aware of Cara studying their exchange. “From the day I signed the forms, I’ve been waiting for the day when I could have her back. I’m grateful for what the Davidsons have done, but Jean is not her mother. I am.”

  ”I know that,” he ascertained. “We have to tread very carefully at the moment. I want you to meet some other ex-cyphers later. We have a lot to consider.”

  “We?”

  “It’s all going to be all right. Don’t worry.”

  Ami worried all right, wondering once again what she’d gotten herself into when she took on that side job. She had hated her life as a number, true, and every waking moment had been dedicated to finding Lily and getting her identity back, until… Katlena. All of her decisions were influenced by the people she cared about. She’d never expected to be caught in the crossfire of politics.

  She went back to bed, slipping into a restless sleep. In her dream, she was sitting in a swing, holding a baby. It was a warm, sunny summer day. She could smell the scent of flowers. A shadow fell over her, disturbing the peaceful scenery.

  “It’s time,” the shadow spoke.

  “It was just a dream. It’s not going to happen.”