“In the large black container box I have a spare pair of rubber boots, I think they’re your size, put them on. Don’t touch anything else outside.”
Barry disappeared to go find the box.
Kyle went back to the room he’d slept and began packing. He heard the front door creak open and close. Dying to know what Barry was saying, he went back to the front window that overlooked the porch. He put his ear close and listened but couldn’t pick up on anything of significance.
Barry finished his call but didn’t come back inside right away, he stood on the porch and stared out towards the mountains beyond.
Deciding there was nothing to be gained from his eavesdropping, Kyle went back to packing. When he closed the lid on the last box, he noticed Barry hadn’t come back in. Wondering what was delaying him, Kyle went to the front door and opened it. There he found Barry still staring off. “What are you doing? I could’ve used your help.”
Barry turned around and handed him the phone. “I think you should call your wife.”
Kyle gave him an odd look and asked, “Why?”
“Trust me, call her,” Barry said putting the phone in his hands and walking inside.
Kyle looked at the phone, concern grew to fear. He quickly dialed the number. The phone clicked several times then started to ring.
“This is Operator Fourteen, number to connect,” a woman’s voice said.
“Connect me to Lima Four Two Six,” Kyle said.
“Connecting,” the operator said.
The phone clicked several times.
“Hello,” Portia answered.
“Are you okay?”
She hesitated.
“Portia, are you there?” he asked.
She could hear his troubled tone. “I, I’m fine and you?”
“I was told to call you.”
“You were? Who told you to do that?”
“Number Two, he said I needed to call you. Is something wrong? Did something happen?”
Again she paused not knowing how to answer.
“Portia, tell me.”
“It was an accident, I didn’t mean to be trouble. I just lost my composure,” she stuttered unable to get the right words out.
“Calm down and tell me what happened.”
“You know Melissa, the little…”
He interrupted her and said, “Yes. I remember her.”
“Well, they did a round of tests yesterday and she was picked to be banished. I couldn’t just let her get thrown out without talking to her one last time. Anyway, there was an incident,” she said and paused.
“What happened?”
“I tried to force my way into the holding room and well, a guard had to subdue me. It was really bad, but Number One, he, he’s forgiven me. I just need to do something for him and all will be forgotten.”
“Do what?”
“I don’t know yet. He said he’ll summon me when it’s time. Those were his words.”
Kyle sighed heavily. Number One wasn’t known for giving pardons so if there was one, it was coming at a heavy price.
“I’m sorry,” she cried.
“Don’t, no, don’t cry. You need to think clearly. I need you to not get emotional, do you hear me? I need you strong. Whenever someone is leading with their emotions they make bad decisions.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’ll be fine. I’ll be home soon and get this worked out. And don’t accept any deals from Number One until I get back, do you understand? No matter what.”
“Yes, I understand,” she replied. “Kyle?”
“Yes.”
“I’m scared.”
“Don’t be. I’ll be home soon and straighten this all out. I’m going to hang up. Again, don’t accept any deals until I get home.”
“I won’t.”
“I’ll see you soon, bye.”
“Bye.”
When the phone disconnected, Kyle cursed loudly and punched the door. This was the last thing he needed to worry about.
Barry appeared and asked with a sneering grin, “Is she okay? I heard the incident at the infirmary yesterday was quite dramatic.”
Kyle didn’t know what to say and now more than ever he needed to watch what he said. He had already gotten on Barry’s bad side but if Number One had something on Portia he was in a no win situation.
“I hear my dad is going to make her a deal. I can’t remember the last time my dad has done that. Your wife must be quite the enchantress to get my dad to not bring down the hammer of the law against her because I do believe what she did is punishable by banishment.”
Still Kyle was speechless.
“Whatever it is, I know this truth, you lose.”
And right there, it was confirmed. Kyle was in a no win situation. In other words, he knew he was fucked.
“Where my father isn’t one for making deals with the exception of your lovely wife. Maybe you and I can make a deal.”
“And what could you possibly offer? And secondly, why would you ever want to help me? I believe I choked you out, put a knife to your face and threatened to kill you.”
“I can forgive. I’m a man that can be bought.”
“I’m a driver, I don’t have anything of value.”
“Oh yes you do. You have something that is priceless.”
“And what’s that?”
“A reputation.”
COLLECTIVE PRIME
Seconds after hanging up with Kyle the phone rang again. She picked it up and said, “Kyle?”
“No, this is Bravo One. There’s a car out front, get in it. It will take you somewhere.”
“But I’m not dressed.”
“Get in the car now,” Bravo One ordered.
She put the phone down, walked to the front door and opened it to find a large SUV parked out front. Should I wait? She asked herself.
The driver exited, stepped around and opened the rear passenger door.
Think Portia, think. Kyle said don’t do anything until he got back .
Seeing that she wasn’t coming, the driver approached and said, “I need you to get in the car.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll find out soon enough, now, go get in the car.”
It took all off her strength to take that first step but once she did the momentum took her all the way until she was seated in the back.
When the driver closed the door she heard Number One. “Hi Portia, are you ready to know what this unorthodox plan is?”
SOUTH OF MEEKER, COLORADO, COLLECTIVE PROTECTED ZONE
Kyle sat quietly, both of hands on the steering wheel in a white-knuckle grip. His teeth grinding and jaw clenched as he stewed over his predicament. Barry was right, Number One never offered deals, if he was anything, it was predictable. Knowing Portia was being granted a pardon in exchange for something led him to believe it couldn’t be good. Then there was Barry, he hadn’t asked yet, but he had a good idea what he asking for and that was most likely to keep quiet while Barry leveraged what influence he had on behalf of Portia. Knowing Portia was in Number One’s clutches both panicked and angered him.
Barry also sat quietly, while Kyle was going over his potential options.
“We’re getting closer. What do we have, a little less than a day?” Barry asked hoping to get a response from Kyle. His previous attempts failed to illicit even a nod or grunt.
Hearing Barry’s voice only made Kyle grip the wheel tighter, if that was possible.
“I think we should talk, I really do. Don’t you want to know what I can offer to help you and your wife?” Barry asked.
“I want to wait until I hear more from Portia,” Kyle said, finally breaking his silence.
“But by then, it may be too late.”
Kyle chewed on that response. There was truth to that reasoning. Information was his friend and the more he had the better. “Fine. What are you offering and for what?”
“I want you to kill my father,” Barry said ca
lmly.
Kyle slammed on the brakes, bringing the truck to a stop but forcing Barry into the dash. “What?”
“Christ man, how about warning me before you do that shit!”
“You just asked me if I would kill your father. Do you know how many guards are around him at all times?”
“Yes, but…”
“And how do I do it without getting caught. The last thing I want to do is die and leave Portia a widow.”
“But all you…”
“You’re joking, right? This is a stupid childish prank, a test,” Kyle asked once more interrupting Barry.
“If you’d let me finish I’ll tell you everything, I just need you to close your mouth for five minutes and I can break it all down for you.”
Kyle’s nostril’s flared and his face turned flush. “Go ahead,” he snapped.
“I’ll easily get you in front of my father, just us three, from there you can take him out. Once I’m in charge, I’ll pardon your wife and you two can go back to living you happy life.”
“How is that a deal at all? I don’t even know what your father is proposing to Portia, for all I know it could be benign.”
Barry began to shake his head.
“What?”
“I know you’re a bit clueless, but now you sound fucking stupid. You’ve known my father for nineteen years. He wants something so valuable to you, that he asked me…” Barry said then stopped talking.
Intrigued, Kyle said, “Finish what you were going to say.”
“This morning, I called my father to check in. He was having someone go get her right after I got off the phone,” Barry said.
“Finish your other thought,” Kyle barked.
“He asked me to kill you,” Barry said plainly.
Hearing that, Kyle looked to make sure Barry didn’t have a weapon in his hand or near him, he then thought hard if what Barry was saying could be true. He knew Number One’s wife had recently passed away and he also knew Number One had an eye for younger women and that it was rumored he had affairs with other people’s wives. Why would he do that to him? This was the same man who had saved him years ago. Now after all these years he wanted him dead?
“Search your thoughts and feelings. You know it’s true,” Barry said.
Kyle did just that. The more he thought on it, the more confidence he had in Barry’s theory. He looked at Barry and said, “He wants me out of the way so that he can get Portia.”
Barry put his finger on the tip of his nose. “Bingo.”
Dismayed, Kyle let go of the steering wheel and lowered his head. “But why?”
“Why do people do anything?” Barry asked.
“I’ve been loyal to him since after he found me. I gave him my life in service to The Collective.”
“I’m going to tell you something else and this will no doubt piss you off.”
Kyle sat speechless.
“You don’t have any leverage over me, it’s not like this is a deal so my father doesn’t find out I’m fucking kids. He knows. He’s known for a long time. While you’re out there driving and risking your life for The Collective, he’s been playing four-dimensional chess against you. I never went missing, he sent you out to quote unquote find me so we could kill you.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because I want you to kill him.”
“I kill him and you take over, it’s simple, very simple.”
“Yes, now you see,” Barry said with a broad smile.
“How about I kill you and kill him, hell I’ll kill everyone,” Kyle said out of anger.
“You and I both know that you’ll never succeed at that. This is the only way for you and Portia to be together and safe. If you show up at The Collective, you won’t make even past the walls and Portia will be his new wife.”
Kyle sat and thought. As he looked towards the gently sloping hills and the mountains beyond he couldn’t help but think that even after a nuclear war, man was still scheming, and devising ways to screw each other over. Number One’s experiment for social justice and a government designed to bring equality and fairness was all bullshit. He still lived in opulence and he pursued and went after anything he wanted, even other people’s wives. This wasn’t a reboot, this was the same all over again.
“Let me tell you one more thing that will make it easier for you. My father is sick. He has something called Hashimoto's thyroiditis. I guess women normally get it but nevertheless he has it. He needs a steady supply of hormone replacement and the only place we’ve found a plentiful supply is in the Rocky Mountain Republic. I guess those bastards have a pharmaceutical plant in their boundaries and they got it up and running a few years back. We ran into some trouble with them ten years ago concerning trade as you know well. However, with father’s need for those hormones he began trading in the one commodity we could spare…children.”
Kyle snapped his head and glared at Barry, “He’s been involved in the slave trade of children?”
“Yes, just so he could get his precious hormones,” Barry confessed.
“Why am I just finding out about this? How could this remain so quiet?”
“It’s called paying people off, we knew you couldn’t be bought but we found other drivers like Ten and Two, and others. You’d be surprised who’s involved.”
“Unbelievable.”
“Now you know why I kept saying you were clueless. While you were being the honorable one out there fighting and scavenging for The Collective, the rest of us were playing the game of greed, lust, gluttony, you name it. This whole system we created is bullshit, it’s a scam.”
Clenching his fists, Kyle said, “I just want to…”
“Kill him?”
Kyle squeezed his fists tightly and answered, “Yes.”
BATCHELOR GULCH, COLORADO, COLLECTIVE PROTECTED ZONE
Portia hadn’t been outside the walls of Collective Prime since they had gone up. There wasn’t any need for her too and it was illegal.
“Where are you taking me?” Portia asked Number One.
“Right there, he said pointing towards a large building.”
“Is that a hotel?”
“Yes, before The Reboot it was the Ritz Carlton, it’s now my secret getaway, I call it the Lair. It’s heavily protected so you don’t have to worry.”
“Why are you taking me here?” she asked.
“I’ll explain it all once we get there. And from now on, please call me Xavier.”
She nodded.
Ahead of them, the road narrowed and channeled them towards a large metal gate which opened when they came near. On the other side the road widened again and slivered up the hill towards a second gate, which too was open for them. After that, they continued until they stopped under a massive wood porte cochere. Armed men surrounded the vehicle and faced out. More men came and opened her and Xavier’s door.
She stepped out and was greeted, “Good morning.”
“Oh, hi,” she said startled by her treatment.
Xavier walked around and took her by the hand, “Come with me dear.”
Feeling like she was living another person’s life, she just went with it, fearful that saying no could lead to something worse.
He led her through the front doors and into a large lobby. She was amazed by the beauty of the space. The marble floors glowed and stretched out from the entrance to a far wall with towering windows that overlooked the valley below. They moved to a bank of elevators located on the left and walked on the first one available.
“Do you live here?”
“Not all the time, I use it as a home away from home when I want to escape the day to day bullshit of The Collective.”
The words he was using were unlike anything she’d ever heard him use.
The doors opened and he led her down the hall, stopping in front of a set of double door. He turned the lever handle and opened the door. “After you.”
She stepped inside. Like the lobby, the room was gorgeous with marble
floors, plush carpeting, wallpapered walls with hard wood trim accenting it all.
He pointed to a couch and said, “Take a seat, please.”
She did as he said.
He briskly walked towards a pair of closed doors inside and asked, “Do you like surprises?”
“Ah, sure.”
He opened and pushed the door open. There sitting on the bed was Melissa. He gave her a wink and said, “Come here.”
Melissa jumped up and cautiously walked to him.
“Melissa!” she exclaimed jumping up and running towards her.
“Teacher Seven!” Melissa cried out.
The two embraced.
“You’re here, I can’t believe it. You’re here and safe. You’re not hurt are you?” Portia said looking her over.
“I’m fine. I’ve been here the entire time.”
“What do you mean you’ve been here the entire time?” Portia asked giving Xavier an odd look.
He shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
“I’m so happy to see you,” Portia said.
“Have you seen my daddy?” Melissa asked.
“No, I haven’t. So he hasn’t come and visited you here?” Portia asked.
“No.”
“Let’s talk,” Xavier said motioning for Portia to go back to the couch. He looked at Melissa and said, “Do you mind going back into the bedroom while us adults talk?”
Melissa shook her head and walked back into the bedroom.
After closing the door, Xavier took a seat across from her. “It’s been said, I give the best surprises.”
She smiled awkwardly. While it was wonderful to see Melissa and know she was safe, she didn’t know why she was there or why he saved Melissa.
“This must seem out of sorts. So instead of keeping you in suspense any longer I’ll ask you this. How would you like to live here, with Melissa of course?”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s simple, if you like this place, you can have it. And if you want Melissa to live with you she can.”
She shook her head and raised her hand to massage her temple. “This is confusing. I thought Melissa had an incurable virus? And why would you offer me and Kyle this place. I broke the law and now you’re giving us this place and allowing us to raise Melissa. What about her father?”
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