“Yes, but doesn’t the sense of caring involve the fear of loss?” Des wanted more than anything to convince her that Esroy no longer cared about her, whether it was true or not. The likelihood of losing the fight tomorrow was too great and the risk too large for Hazel to go with him. There was no chance of making sure she would be safe in the thick of it all.
His question seemed to stump her, or at least make her pause and consider what he said. But she wouldn’t be totally swayed. She shook her head slowly. “It doesn’t matter. I know how he thinks. I know what his weaknesses are. I know he still cares about me, even if he is angry. You will have a better chance if I go.”
Des felt his worry turn into anger at her persistence. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep her from going, but that didn’t change how he felt.
“I think it’s suicide for you,” Des said. “You forget that it’s not only Esroy who will be after us. There will be a lot of soldiers. We will be targets.” Des looked at the others in the group. “Honestly, I think we should split up. Gus and the team should go one route and I should go another. It betters our chances of making it to the tower and getting the broadcast out to the people.”
“I think we should stick together,” Gus said.
“I don’t know,” Nolan said. “I think the robot might have something here.”
“It is your main objective, after all,” Des said. “Without the broadcast, the whole fight is meaningless, right?”
Nolan nodded slowly, as if he didn’t want to admit that this was a true fact. Arguing that the Outlanders stood a chance at defeating the Mainlanders in battle was preposterous and he knew it.
“All the more reason for me to go with you, Des,” Hazel argued. “If there is any chance of Esroy listening to me, then it’s worth it.”
“You are ready to give your life for this?” Des asked. “For people you don’t know?”
“You are,” Hazel came back. “I have as much right to lay my life on the line as you do.”
“With all due respect, Hazel,” Nolan said, “you’re a programmer, not a fighter.”
“And who do you think programmed those robots?”
Her question was met with silence. Finally Nolan sighed and looked at Des. “She’s going to do what she wants to do, so you might as well accept it.”
Des looked deeply into Hazel’s eyes, her stare fixed on him, unbroken by his urging for her to stay behind. Truly, there was no telling her differently. Perhaps she was right. Maybe if Esroy came after him, which he most definitely would, she could be a help.
“He’s not the same robot you created,” Des said. “He has changed. And not only because of the lack of fear.”
“And you won’t be the same robot I created two years from now either,” she said. “That’s the beauty of being a person. We change.”
“Yes, well the person that is Esroy wants us all dead.”
“I don’t believe that,” she said. “I can’t believe that.”
Des wished more than anything that she would believe it, for believing it would save her life, even if only for a short time.
He turned to Gus who still held the thin, long cord in his hands, ready to upload the broadcast tower schematics and controls into his memory.
“I’m ready,” Des said. His eyes remained on Hazel as he got on his knees and let Gus unlatch the covering on the back of his head. He knew he was putting all of his trust into the man. Into the Outlanders. If they ever wanted to destroy him, this would be the way to do it. All Gus had to do was reach into the back of his head and fry some circuits. With a single motion, the man could end Des forever.
It felt symbolic in a way. When Gus chose to plug in the cord rather than kill him, Des then knew they were all on the same side.
39
The number of vehicles spread over the horizon nearly took Hazel’s breath away. The canvas top trucks carrying twenty or more soldiers outnumbered the other vehicles ten to one. Hazel couldn’t guess how many citizens had joined in the fight, because it was the largest number of Outlanders on the move toward Mainland that Hazel had ever seen. This was confirmed by Nolan when she asked him. She also asked where they had gotten their hands on so many vehicles, and he simply answered that the Outlanders had acquired them over a number of years.
“Only thing is,” Nolan had said, “there’s not enough fuel for all of us to get back.”
The drive wasn’t that long, a couple of hours at most, but Hazel imagined that most of the gas tanks weren’t filled to capacity. She also figured that a return trip wouldn’t be needed for a lot of them considering the number of casualties they projected to have. The hope, however, was that the broadcast would be enough to stall the fighting and most of the Outlanders would be content to occupying the borderland next to the city.
There were just too many ways this whole battle could go, and Hazel couldn’t determine in her own mind what would happen. There was no guarantee that Des would even make it into the city, much less get to the broadcast tower. Hazel didn’t really know what it would look like for Bracken to bring everything he had to the border. From Hazel’s understanding, Mainlanders had never needed to use all of their defense measures to ward off the Outlanders.
She found herself wedged in the back seat of another military truck. Des sat next to her in the middle with Phil on the other side. Gus drove with both hands on the wheel, arms extended. Occasionally he would reach for a flask inside his jacket pocket and take a swig. Hazel was tempted to ask for a sip, but decided not to. In the front seat, Nolan stared out the window at the vehicles beside and behind them, each one kicking up enough red dust to make it look like a man-made sandstorm.
Hazel rested her hands on her belly, wishing there wasn’t a pit in her stomach. She didn’t know if it she was nervous, scared out of her mind, or too calm for her own good. It was the first time she had ever felt this way—her mind too busy to interpret her own emotions. So many scenarios played over at a rapid pace that none of the thoughts seemed coherent. At least she knew the one job she needed to accomplish, and that was to stand between Esroy and Des. That was really all she was good for. However, if Des was right, and Esroy no longer cared about her, then her being there wouldn’t matter. She was as good as dead.
The plan was simple: all of the Outlanders would create the greatest attack Mainland had ever seen, then somehow, Des and a small team would sneak across the border and travel through the city to the broadcast tower. There were no specifics. There couldn’t be. But Hazel had faith that the fight would be substantial. She thought about that night when she was a teenager. The Outlanders were much smaller in number and they made it through the border easily enough. The fight lasted through the night. She never learned the statistics of that battle—how many people died on either side. She had always been so caught up in what had happened to her that she barely wondered how many other people had lost their lives.
The group hardly spoke as the vehicles jostled through the dirt and sand at a pace too fast for comfort considering their inebriated driver. None of them spoke as they moved closer and closer to Mainland. The noise of engines and the occasional chatter on the radios overwhelmed the air around her. Hazel wasn’t ready when Nolan turned around in his seat and declared they were only three miles from Mainland. His words made her stomach drop and she felt her hand reaching for Des. What she felt shocked her briefly as she didn’t expect his fingers to be so cold. He looked at her when their fingers touched and he offered a sympathetic smile.
The smile made her stomach drop even further and a sudden pang of guilt nearly overwhelmed her. She felt responsible for him and the fight he was about to take on. He didn’t deserve this. He shouldn’t have had to be there, fighting an enemy that wasn’t his. Her eyes traveled down to his leg that Esroy had snapped off so easily. If they were being honest, Des didn’t stand a chance against the superior robot. He wasn’t built to fight like Esroy was.
She continued to grip his strong fingers as she looked o
ut the window, doing her best to hold back the tears that wanted to force their way from her eyes. She thought about the day she and her father finished building Gizmo and wished he wouldn’t have worked, or that he had malfunctioned. Maybe it would have squashed her desire to be a programmer. She knew it was irrational to think all this was her fault. The fighting, the death, all of it was inevitable to some degree. She knew the Mainlanders would have gone after the Outlanders eventually. She knew the Outlanders would have had to make some measure of a final stand before it was too late. Maybe her involvement wasn’t all bad. But no one wanted to be the cause of something like this. She looked up at Des and realized for the first time that maybe, just maybe, because of him, innocent people might survive this horrible struggle.
A voice squawked over the radio set on the dashboard. It came from Lester who was somewhere at the front of the vehicles. “It’s time to slow down. I need the leaders to form a circle at the front, make sure we’re all on the same page.”
Nolan brought the radio up to his mouth. “Copy that.” He turned around again and looked at Phil, then Hazel. He opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to decide against it.
The trucks slowed down until they came to a stop and dust clouds caught up to the riders, engulfing them in puffs that nearly blocked out the light for a few moments. Hazel got out of the truck and pulled her shirt over her mouth and nose as she followed closely behind Des. When she looked up and squinted, she could see Mainland in the distance. The buildings within the city stood above the walls surrounding it. Her eye then caught the tallest building of them all: the broadcast tower. At one hundred stories, it stood high above the rest. The building served a lot of purposes, but only one mattered to them today.
Their meeting the night before had outlined the details of the operation and Des had been sure to tell Hazel more of the specifics. For instance, the actual control room where Des needed to be was located on floor number ninety. The eighty-nine floors below would be a struggle to climb. Taking the elevator wouldn’t be an option considering the Mainlanders might catch on that they were going for the broadcast tower. If the elevator shut off midway through the ascension, Des would lose time trying to get out. Taking the stairs was the best option available.
The battle leaders all stood in a circle near the valley of a sandy dune. Each of them had scarves or long handkerchiefs around their faces to filter the air going into their lungs. Their clothes were dark and tinted red to blend into the earth beneath them. Some of them wore tinted goggles, others had painted around their eyes to keep the sun from blinding them. They looked different than the regular soldiers who followed them. Earlier, Hazel had watched as soldiers applied war paint to their faces and necks. Some of the men went shirtless, painting streaks of red to look like blood, carrying on the tradition of trying to drive fear into their enemies. Having seen them do this, she no longer considered them scary or savage. She had seen them as regular people transformed into warriors.
Each person from Nolan’s truck stood together while Lester had his own posse of followers with him. They looked around, most of them making quick glances at Des and whispering to each other. For some, this was the first time they had seen the robot—the one who carried the evidence, the video files that would bring the Outlanders to acceptance among the Mainlanders. She didn’t know how they viewed Des, but Hazel knew they should look at him as their hero. It was either Des or Gus, and Hazel was sure Gus wasn’t up for the job.
“They’ve already spotted us,” Lester said, “just as I figured they would. They are assembling at the wall. Des and Gus are running the two teams headed for the tower. I don’t care who makes it first, just get that video feed going as quickly as possible. Nolan’s job is to go in behind and provide support, but none of that can happen until we break through the wall.” He looked at Gus. “You’ve got the hard drive?”
Gus nodded.
“We have to move with caution,” Lester continued.
“We know all this,” Gus said.
Lester nodded. “I know. I just…” He shook his head and kicked at the dirt. “Somebody give me a radio.”
Nolan pulled his radio from his belt and handed it to the leader. Lester held it up to his mouth and pressed the button down.
“Okay everybody. Does each driver have his team leader in view?”
Truck engines roared through the air in response.
“Listen to me,” Lester said. “We finish this today or we die. It’s that simple. We aren’t here to annihilate the enemy. We are here to show them that we are willing to die for freedom and equality. Our fight today determines the future for our families. Our children. Our grandchildren. If we don’t fight today, we will be gone tomorrow. You must show no fear. Our enemy is no better than us, and today we must make them see that. Are you ready to fight?”
Engines flared. Soldiers screamed.
“Are you ready to die?”
Drivers sounded their horns, revved their engines. People hung out of the side of the trucks waving their arms and guns in the air, shouting to the top of their lungs. The noise was like nothing Hazel had ever heard as its depths pounded through her head and chest. The smell of burning fuel and overheating engines permeated the air. She could only imagine the fear the Mainlanders felt at this spectacle—the same kind of fear she felt the day her mother and sister died. She stared at the trucks filled with soldiers dressed in their war paint, carrying their big guns. She wondered how many savages were among them. She wondered if there was another man like the one who killed her sister and mother. It was this thought, this unavoidable notion, that would never truly let her be a part of the Outlanders despite her willingness to help them in this battle.
She tried to think about her dad who was held captive by Bracken for no good reason. She constantly kept the images of President Morris and President Godfrey at the forefront of her mind. She needed to be reminded that the true enemies were those that kept the world in the dark and wanted to create a society that worshipped them because of their accomplishments.
Lester handed the radio back to Nolan. “Are each of you ready for this?”
Hazel looked at Des who stared ahead at the city. She wondered what thoughts moved through his mind. She wondered what it meant for him to be nervous—if his fear felt anything like her fear. She reached for his hand again and squeezed. He gently squeezed back, though his eyes never left Mainland.
40
Esroy watched the monitor in front of him, the red dust clouds taking up the entire screen as the news cameras panned across the border. He didn’t listen to the commentators as they bellowed out their fear and anxiety. He listened to his own thoughts that continuously reminded him of the opportunities ahead of him.
Esroy’s job was simple. He had to wait until the Outlanders reached the walls and then he had to get a good vantage point to watch for any convoys that might get through and make for the broadcast tower. If he saw one, it was his job to take it out before it got there. The broadcasters had already been alerted that there was a threat and Bracken had been sure to leave a garrison surrounding the tower so even if Esroy didn’t accomplish his task, they were safe. The Outlanders wouldn’t be allowed to spread their propaganda across the city.
It felt good to have a purpose. It felt good that someone was counting on him for something and that he had the freedom to move about as he pleased. Esroy hadn’t been able to stop smiling when Bracken commended him for his work with John Hawthorn. Extracting the information from Gizmo had been a genius move according to Bracken—one that he might not have thought of. This had given Bracken a sense of trust with the robot that he may not have had before, and now Esroy was trusted to be alone.
At first, he didn’t know what to think or feel about his newfound freedom. To be allowed to go as he wished under the expectations that he would simply follow Bracken’s orders was more liberating than Esroy had ever imagined. He thought back to his days stuck inside Hazel’s computer terminal and shook
his head. It truly had been a prison compared to now. That fact made him hate Hazel all the more.
The hatred and resentment was there, however, there was still a sense of respect for her. She was his creator. She had given him life. To completely disregard that idea was folly and Esroy knew it. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t still a criminal. She had still chosen Des over him. She had chosen a life away from the Mainland. Into the open arms of the enemy she went. And Esroy had let her go. On her way out of Mainland when she had the gun to her head, he knew he had to let her go. Up until that moment she may not have committed to the other side, but after giving her the choice, it was apparent that she was completely with the Outlanders.
It didn’t make sense to Esroy. None of it did. The Outlanders were the source of her unhappiness. They always had been. He had been taken aback when she flirted with the idea of helping Nolan Ragsdale. Really, Esroy blamed Des more than anything. The robot was there with her, blindly following, but ultimately enabling her to do those things, probably giving her a false sense of safety.
Des was no stranger. Des was Esroy two years ago. The only difference was their experiences. It really made Esroy think about how experiences shaped a person’s way of thinking—their behaviors. He and Des were completely different people, but Esroy held a deep understanding of him. Right now, Des tried to do the right thing. It was in his programming to know the difference between right and wrong to an extent, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t choose a side. And that also didn’t mean he knew what to do in the gray areas of life. Des was more susceptible to lies than Esroy. Most of all, there was an unwavering trust in his maker, Hazel. At this point in Des’ life, he would do anything for her. He would end his life for her.
How little he knows her, Esroy thought to himself. It pained Esroy to think such a thing, but it was true. Des didn’t know Hazel. He didn’t know how she promised to do so many things and then never delivered on those promises. He had to trick her to get his body.
Prototype D (Prototype D Series Book 1) Page 30
