Smoke

by Mariah Esterly

  She took a deep breath, licked her lips and tried again. “I’m sorry. I can’t save the file to a zip drive either. They track that as well.”

  Atkins leaned back in his chair and considered her. “What about paper copies?”

  Gertie mimicked his movement, crossing her arms over her chest. “I mean, maybe? They would know I printed them twice, but maybe I could play it off as an accident. But I don’t know how I would smuggle them out.”

  The door opened and Graves entered. Gertie shifted in her chair. She had hoped that they would get through this meeting with Atkins without seeing the blond man. Graves made her uncomfortable.

  He took up his spot on the edge of Atkins’ desk, his legs stretched out in front of him, almost touching Gertie’s feet. She tucked them farther under her chair.

  “You were saying,” he prompted.

  Gertie gave him a long look, then turned back to Atkins. “I was saying, I don’t know if I would be able to get the pages out of the office. I can’t really take them back to my desk and stuff them in my bag.”

  Atkins turned his eyes to Vail, who returned his stare with a raised eyebrow. “Ideas?”

  Vail looked at Gertie. “If you printed two copies where would they expect you to put the duplicate?”

  “In one of the recycling bins, I would guess.” She shrugged. “But I can’t say for sure”

  “Where do those go?”

  Gertie shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m gone by the time that the janitors pick up the bins.”

  Atkins looked at Graves. “Can we find that out?”

  Graves shrugged. “I don’t see why not. It should be fairly easy.”

  Atkins nodded decisively. “Great! Once we figure that out we’ll get word to Miss Penn and she can print an extra copy.”

  They were talking like the plan was made, like she had already agreed. Vail moved to stand but Gertie said, “No,” and he remained where he was.

  Graves turned cold eyes on her. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

  Gertie suppressed a shiver, but she raised her chin a fraction. “I said ‘no.’ You’re all acting like I’ve agreed to help you and I haven’t. Hell, you didn’t even ask. You just assumed.” Gertie looked at Vail, hoping he would understand. “It’s not just a matter of me printing an extra copy of my data sheets. In the six months I’ve been there do you know how many times that has happened? One. One time, and the person who did it, didn’t come back the next day. I don’t know what happened to him. No one does. He just disappeared. What I do know is that I have a family that depends on me for support. That I would put them in danger if I did this thing that you’re asking me to do. If I’m caught, they’ll be punished too. I can’t do that. I just… I can’t. Not without a very good reason.”

  The quiet that followed was broken by Graves. “They tried to kill you.” Hi voice was harsh, and Gertie flinched back from it. The words sunk into her. They tried to kill you. She’d almost died.

  She leaned back in her chair, hands clasped together to hide how much his words shook her. “So you said. But how do I know it wasn’t you, in some really bizarre attempt to get me to help you? You seem to forget that I don’t know any of you. I don’t know what it is you do here. And you haven’t told me.”

  Graves looked like he was about to explode. “Listen-” He started but Atkins cut him off.

  “No, she’s right. We’ve been operating as though she understands what’s at stake. When she clearly does not.” He looked at Gertie over the top rim of his glasses. “I apologize Miss Penn. You know that this is the Office. We are a group of people, extras and regular citizens, that oppose the Chancellor and the government. We feel that their laws are unjust and that the systematic imprisonment and executions of Extras is something that cannot stand.”

  There was silence while Gertie digested the information. She took a deep breath. “You’re trying to overthrow the Government?”

  “That’s the gist of it,” snapped Graves.

  Gertie glanced at him and then went back to Atkins. “Things were worse under the monarchy, weren’t they? When Extras were in power they all but enslaved non-Extras.”

  Atkins nodded. “True, but why is it acceptable to trade one enslaved people for another? Extras have been exterminated or incarcerated under the rule of the Chancellor. The few that are free are either bound to the government or in hiding. The lives of non-Extras haven’t improved either. What we are trying to do is to break the government entirely. To build it up to something new that will work for all people. Not just for those in power.”

  Gertie shook her head. “We’re a democracy now. People can vote for their leaders, isn’t that the closest thing for working for all people as it can get?”

  Graves shifted, drawing Gertie’s eye. “In theory, yes, if the government is actually working for the people and the elected officials were actually elected by the people.”

  Gertie took a deep breath. “You think the Chancellor rigged the election?”

  “Not necessarily. When Duncan ran, he was the best choice for the job. He’d been on committees for the King, had been key in the uprising. He was a good fit, and we believe that he was actually chosen by the people…”

  “But…” prompted Gertie.

  “Recently, he’s been making statements that are... I hate to use the word insane, but it seems to apply here and people just seem to be okay with it.”

  Gertie nodded, remembering the near argument she’d had with her mother. “Like saying he was going to remove the right for people in 4th, 5th and 6th to vote. My mother agreed that it was a good idea.”

  “Exactly. He’s also been encouraging people to actively hunt down and report Extras. We’ve also received word that multiple instances of assault have gone unpunished on his order, against Extras and non-extras alike.”

  Gertie’s stomach turned. She’d heard stories about the monarchy from her parents, that they had oppressed the people, but they at least had made sure to provide swift justice to those that had broken the law.

  “So, you can see why we needed to exercise caution when you drew our attention.” Atkins said. “It’s rare that anyone from 5th gets moved to 3rd. We had to be sure that you weren’t in the pocket of the Chancellor.”

  “Of course,” Graves added, his eyes hard, jaw tense. “That was all blown to Hell the minute Vail decided to take matters into his own hands and reveal himself to you, not once but twice in the same night.”

  Atkins waved his hand in a dismissive way. “Yes, yes, and he has received his punishment for that. What’s done is done, Graves. We’ve discussed this” He turned his eyes back to Gertie, his gaze keen. “By the way, how did you move from 5th to 3rd?”

  “My teacher, Mrs. Baggs, submitted the application for me. She thought that I had the potential to be more than a farmer. Someone came and gave me a couple of tests and I was approved for the move.” She thought back to those tests. How she’d expected the typing test, and had done well, but then they’d run her through a series of other tests, some of them painful. Gertie had gritted her teeth and endured them, focusing on how much she would be able to help her family. Mrs. Baggs had later told her that they were trying to determine if she was an Extra. It wouldn’t do if she had been promoted by two districts only to discover that she had powers.

  And apparently, pain was a good way to make abilities manifest.

  She didn’t want to think what would have happened if she had failed those tests.

  “Gertie?” Vail prompted.

  Her face reddened as she realized that someone had asked her something while she’d been staring off into space. “Sorry. What was the question?”

  Graves pulled his feet toward him, bracing them against the floor as he leaned toward Gertie. “Given everything that we’ve told you and your own experiences with the government and the Chancellor, will you help us?”

  Gertie took a deep breath, avoiding Vail’s gaze. “If anything happens, if I am caught, can you
guarantee the safety of my family? I won’t help if they are in any danger.”

  Graves glanced over his shoulder at Atkins, who leaned back in his chair and considered her. “We can’t move them into the facility beforehand, that would most assuredly raise suspicions. However, if you are caught, or if you feel that their safety is compromised in some way, I give you my word that we will do everything in our power to help them.”

  Gertie nodded slowly. She supposed that was the most she could hope for from them. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

  15

  Vail

  They spent the next hour coming up with a more in depth plan. Vail glanced at Gertie who remained silent for most of the discussion. She seemed out of it, like she was only half listening to their discussion.

  He didn’t blame her, it was a lot to absorb in such a short time. And he couldn’t help the little burst of pride at how well she was handling all of this. It was an odd feeling for someone that he’d just met. As if he had something to do with how well adjusted she was. He shook his head at the idea.

  Gertie would return to her apartment and her normal life. She would visit her family on Friday, go out with her coworkers on Saturday and the following week, when things were in a normal routine again, she would try to print an extra copy of the spreadsheets.

  “I don’t like the idea of you going back to your apartment.” Vail said, trying to hide how anxious it made him, but failing when he ran a hand through his hair. “You were attacked there. Who’s to say that won’t happen again?”

  Gertie shrugged. “Maybe the fact that the first three men went missing will be enough to deter any further attacks.”

  Vail shook his head, shifting in his chair to relieve some of the pain in his back. “I don’t like it.”

  “Jesus, Vail,” Graves snapped. “Just go with her, okay? That is your assignment until we get the pages.”

  “You’ll have to stay invisible the entire time.” Atkins warned. “We’ll need Dicie to turn off the loop that she has been running.”

  Dicie had been streaming old footage of a time when Gertie had been sick with the stomach flu as a way to explain her absence from the gym for the last two days and that Gertie wasn’t actually in her apartment, though her bracelet was.

  Vail shrugged. “That’s not a problem.”

  “Are there cameras in every room of my apartment?” Gertie asked. He glanced at Graves and Atkins, not really wanting to answer. She was already freaked out that she was being watched. He didn’t want to cause her more distress. Apparently, their glance was enough. “Really?”

  “Well, not the bathroom. They give you privacy in there at least.” Atkins answered.

  “Great….” Her black eyes focused on Vail. “You’ll just camp out in my bathroom. That way you won’t have to stay invisible all the time.”

  Her bathroom was large enough that he would be able to fully stretch out to sleep and her linen closet was in it as well, so no one watching would think it strange if she brought extra blankets and pillows into it. He nodded. “That’s not a bad idea.”

  “You’ll need to remember to not act any differently from how you behaved before.” Atkins warned Gertie. “They’ll pick up on any changes if someone is watching the feed in real time.”

  “I understand.” Gertie nodded. Vail watched as her face grew red. She must be thinking about her ritual of stripping off her clothes when she returned from the gym. He could assure her that he’d never snuck a peek, that he’d averted his eyes when she’d done that, but that would be a lie. And he didn’t want to lie to her.

  “Great. I think that covers everything.” Atkins clapped his hands together once, and Gertie and Vail stood, moving toward the door.

  “Vail,” Graves said before they could leave. Vail paused, one hand on the door the other on the small of Gertie’s back. “I expect reports every other day.”

  He didn’t bother trying to hide the tightening of his jaw and nodded. “Understood.” He pulled the door open and ushered her through before Graves could say more.

  16

  Gertie

  They left the office a short time later, after Vail had packed up a small bag of his belongings to bring to her apartment. There was some talk about waiting until night had fallen fully before they made their way from 4th to 3rd. Without her bracelet, Gertie would not be able to go through the checkpoints and they would have to go over the walls. It wasn’t a problem for Vail who would be unseen no matter which direction they went, but Gertie ran the very real risk of being caught.

  As it was, they made their way through the district as the sun was setting, painting the sky in reds and oranges. There was enough light left that the street lamps had not yet turned on, and with any luck it would be fully dark by the time that they reached the division between 4th and 3rd.

  Vail went invisible before they left the dusty room that housed the entrance to the Office. She heard, rather than saw, him head up the stairs. “Follow me,” he said and the door to the street opened of its own accord.

  Gertie rolled her eyes. “Really?” She moved forward until she was standing in the door and felt a hand on hers pulling her through to the street outside. The door closed behind them, hanging slightly askew on its hinges.

  Vail guided her through the quiet Sunday evening streets with a hand on her back or her elbow. They didn’t speak as they walked until they reached a dark alley that Gertie vaguely recognized from the night that Vail had carried her through the city. She heard him pull himself on top of a garbage bin.

  “Is it safe for us to go this way again?” Gertie asked, looking up at the side of the building as a fire escape ladder fell toward the ground. She heard Vail land on the pavement near her.

  “Yes, before we left I checked the schedule for the patrols. We have about fifteen minutes to get up and over this wall before anyone will be in the vicinity.” He pulled her toward the ladder. “After you.”

  Gertie placed her hand on the metal rungs and began to climb. The ladder shook as Vail followed her, making her grip the steel a bit tighter. How had she done this when she was out of it and nauseous?

  She supposed she’d been too out of it to care.

  Her fingers were a bit achy by the time she reached the first platform and they made their way up the stairs to the roof.

  Vail guided her to the far side of the building, where the divider between the two districts sat. She watched as a narrow board seemed to float over the gap between buildings of its own accord, and realized what exactly Vail was intending that they do.

  She was shaking her head as Vail urged her toward the wide open space that seemed to stretch farther the closer she got. “No. No, sorry. I’m not walking across that. I’ll just live in 4th now.”

  He chuckled, his hand warm as he pulled her forward. “It's fine. I cross over this board multiple times in a week. Haven’t fallen once.”

  She dug her feet in, resisting, the rubber soles of her shoes slipping over the tiny pebbles that littered the roof. “Your capabilities and my capabilities are very different.”

  He stopped tugging on her suddenly. She heard him sigh. Gertie scowled and asked hesitantly, “Vail?”

  The word ended on a squeal as invisible arms scooped her up and threw her over a broad shoulder. Her arms wrapped around his waist, holding on for dear life while her eyes squeezed shut. There was something very disconcerting about seeing right through the person who was holding her.

  The rough canvas of his backpack scraped against her cheek as he stepped onto the ledge. “If you drop me and I die, I am coming back as a ghost to haunt your ass.”

  He laughed again, but he took a more secure grip on her legs. “I better not drop you then.” He stepped forward and she tried to ignore Vail’s slight wobble as she heard his boot make contact with the wood beam. Gertie gripped him tighter, not daring to open her eyes, knowing that she would be greeted with the sight of the pavement far below.

  When her feet were safely planted on th
e roof of the other building, she slowly cracked open her eyes. She watched as the board seemingly floated by itself once again. If anyone had been watching from below, they might have thought it was some sort of weird draft of air.

  What would they have thought if they’d looked up while they were crossing? She laughed out loud at the image.

  “Something funny?” Vail took her hand and pulled her across the roof.

  She shook her head. “Not really, just what that would have looked like had anyone seen.”

  He let out a short laugh. “You, gripping tightly to nothing, while you floated over the wall?”

  “Upside down.” She added, stifling another laugh.

  They stepped over a space of about two feet to move from one building to the next. Scrambling over ledges and slanted roof tops. Vail touched her constantly guiding her to the safest route possible.

  Had he been alone he probably would have descended the buildings by now, Gertie thought to herself. He could walk the streets unseen. They took the high route because of her. “Vail?” She said as he gripped her elbow to help her over a larger gap between buildings.

  “Hmm?”

  She looked down at her sneakers, borrowed from Dicie. “Never mind.” She had about a million questions that she wanted to ask him. About the Office, the Government, his abilities. But she had no idea where to begin, and out in the open wasn’t the place to have that conversation.

  “You do have one more question, Freckles. You can ask me anything.” Her face grew warm at the nickname. She hoped he didn’t notice, but she couldn’t be sure. It was strange to have a conversation with someone she couldn’t see, but who could see her.

  “I was wondering… When you’re invisible can you see yourself?” The question came out in a rush.

  It was met with a surprised laugh. “We’ll go down to street level here.” He tugged her over to the fire escape and paused. She guessed he was looking down into the alley below, checking to make sure it was safe. “Okay.”